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Please read our Golden Rules of self help before considering the information on this page.
Polycystic Ovaries
Here are two words that you have probably all heard before:
Polycystic Ovaries. Everyone knows at least one woman in their family
or friends who have this problem. Is it a new plague or was it there
all along? Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome (PCOS) is not new, the reason
why it is more easily diagnosed nowadays is because we have more
accurate blood tests and sophisticated imaging technology, the
ultrasound.
What Is It?
Women with polycystic ovaries usually have a normal uterus and
fallopian tubes, but their ovaries contain many small follicles or
cysts, these are not able to be felt but are visible on ultrasound.
Each one of these follicles contains an egg, but they don't grow
normally and shrink before ovulation. Each month, new follicles develop
and shrink into cysts. It's a bit like a fruit tree that has many buds
but the fruit fall before they can develop. On occasion, the patient
may ovulate and conceive, but most of the cysts remain too small. These
cysts don't indicate an increase in the risk of ovarian cancer and do
not need to be removed.
Don't Panic
Overall, around 20% of women of the general population have ovaries
with this appearance but this does NOT mean they have the full-blown
syndrome. From the state of current research we don't know whether this
is a sign that symptoms are more likely to develop in the future. So
just because you have an ultra-sound that shows some ‘multiple cysts'
does not mean that you have the problem.
What Are The Symptoms?
The first signs of PCOS are menstrual irregularity and problems, which affects around 75% of those with the disease. This often starts during puberty, irregular or absent periods are common variations, many finding their periods particularly heavy when they do arrive. The menstrual irregularity is a sign that there is a problem with regular monthly ovulation. Unfortunately, many teenagers are made to use the contraceptive pill to control their periods for irregularity or heaviness. As a result the condition is not diagnosed until much later when the sufferer wants to start a family and finds she can't.
The other problems presented by PCOS are:
- Impaired fertility
- Higher miscarriage rates
- Acne, excessively oily skin.
- Hairiness (hirsutism) due to excess male-type hormones
- Obesity (about half of women with PCOS are obese)
- Abnormal insulin action (40 percent of women with PCOS caused by an insulin problem will develop gestational diabetes, and 50 percent will develop diabetes)
- Heart disease ( including high blood pressure and high cholesterol)
These are serious possible outcomes and this is why this condition should be managed thoughtfully.
What Causes It?
Most PCOS cases are unexplained. There is an obvious problem with
the deficiency of certain hormones -the luteinizing hormone (LH), being
the most deficient but oestrogen is also involved. The condition may be
inherited, in some families several sisters may be affected; however
contrary to popular belief, the condition is not only passed on only
through the mother: if your father's sister has PCOS, then there is a
chance you may have it too. PCOS may also be due to a resistance to
insulin, hence the real risk of developing diabetes later in life or
during pregnancy. A similar effect on the ovaries can occur in women
with eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia)
DOES MOTHER NATURE HAVE A TREATMENT?
The modern medicine treatment for PCOS includes a lot of hormonal treatment and, in the case of women who cannot get pregnant, fertility drugs as well. From the point of view of natural medicine it is really important to treat the whole person and these are the steps that are taken.
- Clean up the act
Many modern women work hard, play hard and have a lousy diet and no rest at all. It is important that a real effort is made to both detoxify the system and to adhere to a good diet. Please note that smoking worsens all the symptoms of PCOS. Because of the fact that insulin is such an important factor in PCOS, it is important to keep sugar intake at a very low level. This does not mean just ‘sugar' of course but all sugar rich foods such as cakes, biscuits, jam and of course chocolate. Because overweight IS a factor in PCOS, it is important to trim down excess weight. However, if you follow the above recommendation about sugary foods this is usually quite easily done. - Nourish the Body
The diet should be rich in protein but low in fats and contain complex carbohydrates and fibre, just like all healthy diets; but supplementation is necessary to improve fertility. For this, it is necessary to take more vitamin E (start with 200mg a day and build up to 500mg twice a day), vitamin C (2000mg/day), vitamin A (2,000i.u./day), multi-minerals (Kelp being the best source, take at least two 1000mg tablets per day) and of course the fertility mineral itself: Zinc (take one tablet every night) - The Herbal Remedies
There are many herbs, which help regulate and stimulate female hormones. The best thing to do is to work with both modern and herbal medicine. Make sure you give a copy of blood test results to your herbalist/naturopath so that she can choose exactly the herbs are the most appropriate in your case. Dong Quai is a great balancing herb and Raspberry leaf is excellent when the period is very heavy but a good herbal formula must be professionally prescribed.
Long Term Monitoring
Given the longer-term risks that have been identified with PCOS, it is important to be vigilant without becoming neurotic. A good healthy diet will in fact keep all of the symptoms at bay. It is important to have regular blood checks to insure everything is in order. For women who cannot conceive, even after they have religiously tried natural medicine, the option of the fertility drugs is not so bad. Again, work with both your doctor and naturopath and you'll have the best of both worlds.
For a personalised treatment please contact me here.
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