Three to four women out of 10 suffer from PCOS

September 1 marks the first-ever World PCOS Day of Unity and kicks off PCOS Awareness Month. The incidence of PCOS has been increasing steadily for the last 7- 8 yrs and is a very common gynecological problem in today's modern world. Earlier it was considered a rare disease but now about 3-4 women out of 10 who attend a Gynec OPD seem to be suffering from it.

Before we speculate why it has become common nowadays, we must understand what it is. Normally, in all women, one egg is released from the ovary somewhere on the 15th day of periods. In a woman with PCOS, this egg is not released. It gets trapped inside the ovary and slowly fluid gets accumulated around it and it forms a water-filled bubble-like structure called a cyst. When many such cysts form in the ovary, it is called polycystic ovarian disease.

It is a health condition, which presents itself not as a single symptom but as a whole package. These women may be battling one issue or many problems like irregular menses, acne, weight gain, unwanted coarse hair growth on the upper lip, face, abdomen and chest, excessive hair loss from the scalp, the blackish appearance of the neck, and most important, difficulty in conceiving or having children. Since it is a whole hormonal scuffle by itself several other hormones may also start to trouble gradually like thyroid, blood sugar balance, and hunger-satiety balancing hormones. One important mention is the terrible imbalance that happens between the two primary female hormones- estrogen which is the hormone that is present before the egg is released from the ovary and progesterone which comes after. Women with PCOD have plenty of estrogens and disproportionately little progesterone. So they can have excessive menstrual bleeding, infrequent menstruation, and even recurrent abortions.

Now let us analyze why PCOS has become so common after all. The answer lies in today's lifestyle. We all have moved to a more sedentary lifestyle with high levels of stress as we live in a much more competitive world than what it was a few decades back. Many of us work on night shifts disturbing our whole circadian rhythm. According to me, diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and PCOS are the price we pay for the big shift in lifestyles of people from the previous generations; the price for the more than required physical comfort we have today, the pomp and not to forget the stress we get in return. The familial tendency also plays a major role. Those who have mothers, sisters, or blood relatives battling PCOS tend to have higher chances of acquiring it.

To avoid as well as tackle PCOS, women need to do cardio exercises for at least half an hour daily, eat a healthy diet that is low in sugars and carbohydrates, and one that is loaded with proteins. To deal with the stress they can indulge in meditation and yoga and not to forget, have eight hours of night sleep.

Let us work towards achieving a zero PCOS and put a halt to this growing health problem right away so we suffer lesser and as will be Sour future generations.

- Dr Suvarna Rai,

MS (OBS&Gyn), FMAS

Head of the Department and Consultant

Obstetrics & Gynecology

SLG Hospitals