What are the complications of PCOS? Women with PCOS are more likely to develop certain serious health problems. These include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, problems with the heart and blood vessels, and uterine cancer. Women with PCOS often have problems with their ability to get pregnant (fertility).
Unmanaged PCOS can impact short and long term health. It's associated with type 2 diabetes, infertility, cardiovascular disease, obesity, sleep apnea (disrupted breathing in sleep), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and depression (9-11). Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce these risks significantly.
Women with PCOS can develop serious health problems, especially if they are overweight: Diabetes—more than half of women with PCOS develop type 2 diabetes by age 40.
Recent studies have shown that women who were diagnosed as having PCOS 30 years ago have a completely normal life expectancy. An inspection of more than 700 death certificates from women with PCOS has shown that there is no excess risk of cancer in any organ or of heart disease.
While PCOS itself is not life threatening, those who have it are at higher risk for other more serious conditions such as Type II diabetes, cardiovascular problems, endometrial cancer, liver inflammation, and a few others.
PCOS increases the risk of some types of cancer. For instance, some research has shown that risk of cancer of the endometrium (pronounced en-doh-MEE-tree-uhm), the inside lining of the uterus, may be higher for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) than it is for women without PCOS.
Many women with PCOS find that their menstrual cycles become more regular as they get closer to menopause. However, their PCOS hormonal imbalance does not change with age, so they may continue to have symptoms of PCOS.
PCOS can produce two types of cysts on your ovaries: functional and pathological. Functional cysts form due to the menstrual cycle and are rarely cancerous or cause symptoms. They usually go away without treatment. Pathological cysts are much rarer and slightly more likely to become cancerous.
As previously stated, the shape of a PCOS belly differs from other types of weight gain. It often appears large and bloated but can also be small and round, depending on genetics and other factors. The PCOS belly involves the accumulation of visceral fat in the lower abdomen and typically feels firm to the touch.
Myth #2: If You Lose Weight, You Can Get Rid of PCOS
Unfortunately, there is no cure for PCOS, but overweight and obese women can help balance their hormone levels by losing weight.
Women with severe PCOS have greater menstrual irregularity, androgen excess, more total and abdominal fat and resistance to insulin; and also have more severe risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease than women with less severe forms of PCOS.
What are the complications of PCOS? Women with PCOS are more likely to develop certain serious health problems. These include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, problems with the heart and blood vessels, and uterine cancer. Women with PCOS often have problems with their ability to get pregnant (fertility).
3. Inflammatory PCOS. This type of PCOS occurs due to chronic inflammation. Poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle lead to increased testosterone levels, which causes PCOS.
What causes the symptoms of PCOS? Most of the symptoms of PCOS are caused by higher-than-normal levels of certain hormones, called androgens. The ovaries produce hormones, which are chemicals that control functions in the body.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be managed. Treatment options can vary because someone with PCOS may experience a range of symptoms, or just 1.
Although a majority of cases with PCOS are obese/overweight, a small but significant proportion of patients present with normal body mass index (BMI; ≤25 kg/M2) that makes diagnostic work up and therapeutic approach more difficult. These cases are termed as lean PCOS.
Losing weight is challenging with PCOS, but not impossible. It may take you longer to lose weight than someone without hormonal imbalances. While slow progress can feel discouraging, a healthy lifestyle has benefits you may not notice right away.
Often, the skin can be a window to what is occurring inside your body. For women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, this this may mean acne, hair loss, excessive facial or body hair growth, dark patches on the skin, or any combination of these issues.
The hormonal imbalances that are linked to PCOS can cause you to feel sluggish and lethargic, which can be linked to insulin resistance – a condition found in the majority of women with PCOS.
Evidence suggests that women with PCOS are at increased risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the tendency for women with PCOS to be overweight increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, just as obesity increases cardiovascular risk among women and men who do not have PCOS.
Reproductive hormones and the lipid profile in women with PCOS differ from those in women without PCOS after menopause. Women with PCOS reach menopause a few years later and have lower serum FSH compared with age-matched controls.
PCO is not a disease, whilst PCOS is a metabolic condition:
PCO is a variant of normal ovaries, whilst PCOS is a metabolic disorder associated with an unbalanced hormone levels released by the woman's ovaries.
Women with PCOS and other factors that increase estrogen levels — including obesity, diabetes, or taking certain medications — are more likely to develop endometrial cancer than those without these factors. These women may also be at a higher risk of uterine cancer, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.