Let’s answer some of the more common questions about PCOS.

Answers to common questions about PCOS

1. What causes PCOS?

The root cause of PCOS is not known. But research suggests that high levels of androgen [testosterone] and high levels of insulin are the two major causes of PCOS. These changes could be due to poor lifestyle, family history, stress, obesity or some other unknown causes.

PCOS affects fertility, appearance and has long term health effects if untreated.

2. Why does PCOS cause infrequent or absent periods?

PCOS occurs due to imbalance in reproductive hormones i.e higher levels of androgens [testosterone] and Luteinizing hormone [LH]. In a healthy female, the ovaries make and release eggs or ova on the 14th day of a regular 28 day cycle. If you have PCOS, the ovaries may not develop or release eggs and hence menstruation does not occur. These unreleased eggs are what show as ‘cysts’ in an ultrasound of a woman having PCOS. This leads to missed or irregular periods.

3. What are the main symptoms of PCOS?

Common symptoms of PCOS are:

• Irregular periods
• Rapid weight gain, inability to loose weight, obesity
• Pimples [acne]
• Hair loss and baldness on the head
• Excessive hair growth on the body and face
• Depression and mood swings
• Low self-esteem and body image insecurities
• Difficulty conceiving

4. What are the long term effects of PCOS?

The more common long term effects of PCOS are:

• Diabetes
• High BP
• Endometrial cancer in people who have less than 4 periods in a year
• Snoring, daytime drowsiness
• Obesity, which can lead to knee pain, backache and other health issues.

5. What are poly cysts in my ovaries?

Every menstruating woman has cysts [follicles] in her ovaries. The only difference is that in healthy women, the size of these cysts is small [less than 8mm in diameter]. The cysts seen in PCOS are actually ‘follicles’ that have not released any eggs.

6. How is PCOS diagnosed?

If any two of the following criteria are satisfied, the patient is said to have PCOS:

• Irregular periods
• Excessive hair growth on face and body
• A pelvic ultrasound, where the ovaries show a polycystic appearance
• Increased androgen hormone levels, which are confirmed with blood tests.

7. Can PCOS be cured?

There is no known cure for PCOS. However the symptoms can be managed by lifestyle modification, maintaining an optimal weight, screening for long-term side effects and taking medication if needed. Note that many women tend to experience symptoms on and off.

8. If I have PCOS, does it mean I don’t need a contraceptive?

If you are sexually active and want to avoid pregnancy, you should use a contraceptive even if you have PCOS. PCOS doesn’t mean you cannot get pregnant. Ovulation may still happen and since your periods are irregular, you may not find out soon enough that you are pregnant. Also, contrary to popular misconception, contraceptive pills do not cause PCOS.

9. Can I get pregnant if I have PCOS?

As mentioned above, although PCOS cannot be cured, the symptoms of PCOS and its effects on your health can be managed. With the correct diet, appropriate weight, exercise, and hormonal medicine (if required), your chances of getting pregnant increase. Assisted reproductive measures such as ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination (IUI) and IVF can also help with conception. But these are medical interventions and may involve high level of expenses.

10. Can PCOS affect my health if I do get pregnant?

It is possible that some women with PCOS may develop gestational diabetes, higher chances of miscarriage, pre-eclampsia [high BP complicating mother’s health and baby’s health] and preterm birth.

11. How can I improve my pregnancy outcomes?

Take folic acid [dose adjusted for weight] and keep your blood sugar levels under control. You can lower the risk by reaching a healthy weight before getting pregnant.

12. What can I do to make my pregnancy term safe and healthy?

Avoid excessive weight gain, protein supplements and high sugar foods. Exercise regularly. With modern technology the complications associated with PCOS can now be predicted in the third month itself and can be effectively prevented/controlled. A C-section is not offered/required for PCOS.

13. What can I do to improve PCOS symptoms?

• Balance your intake of carbs and protein. Have a low-carb, high-protein diet
• Increase your iron intake
• Reduce your coffee intake. Caffeine affects estrogen levels and hormonal behaviour
• A balanced low carb, protein rich diet with adequate micronutrients such as iron, chromium and magnesium helps in weight control and reversal of PCOS symptoms. 5 portions of fruits and vegetables help in meeting the requirements of micronutrients. Foods like bananas, spinach, cashews; grapes, apples, onions and tomatoes especially help meet the micronutrients requirements
• Exercise regularly. At least 150 minutes a week with two sessions of muscle strengthening
• Avoid sugar-rich foods
• Work on managing your stress and get enough sleep.

14. How do I know if PCOS is getting better?

The following will indicate that your condition is improving:

• Your period cycle will become regular
• You will start losing weight; even five kilos of weight loss starts showing benefits
• Unwanted hair growth on the face reduces and acne improves
• You will sleep better and feel less stressed.

15. How can we the control long term effects?

Screening should be done regularly [usually annually] for sugars, blood pressure, depression, snoring and endometrial cancer. Long term effects can significantly improve with weight optimisation.

16. Is PCOS a life-threatening condition?

Certainly not, although it significantly affects quality of life if uncontrolled. Symptoms of PCOS can be significantly improved with lifestyle and medication. Consult your local expert for a personalised diagnosis and treatment plan.

The post Answers to common questions about PCOS appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

She visited her family doctor who suggested some tests and thereafter nonchalantly announced the diagnosis: polycystic ovarian disease or PCOD.

Like Priya, PCOD creates havoc for one in every five women and this statistic has been rising at a frightening pace since the past two decades.

Conventionally, PCOD is treated symptomatically, which means every symptom is treated separately. There are different medicines, each given for the acne, irregular periods, weight loss, insulin resistance, hair fall and so on. While these treatments do help to control the symptoms, they don’t treat the underlying cause. For that, you need to approach this condition holistically.

Here are a few things you can do that will not only address the symptoms but even help in reversing PCOD altogether.

Manage insulin resistance

A woman with PCOD is surprised when she discovers that her doctor has prescribed to her medicine that is generally given to diabetics even though her sugar levels are normal. This is because PCOD and insulin resistance go hand in hand. Lack of exercise and unhealthy food habits makes your body resistant to using the available insulin. To compensate, your cells start producing more insulin. It is insulin resistance that makes it difficult for women with PCOD to lose weight. This extra insulin may also cause your ovaries to produce more male hormones such as testosterone, which explains facial hair in some. To make your body sensitive to insulin requires some big changes in your diet and lifestyle, as advised in the next point.

Say no to processed foods

As much as possible, eat foods that are in, or close to, their original form. Avoid processed foods. E.g., have fruits instead of drinking packaged juices or eating jams. Eat vegetables as a salad, soup or sabji; avoid ready-to-cook packet or soup packet. Avoid ketchups, sauces, bakery items, biscuits, refined flour, cakes, pastries, vanaspati and sugar. You can eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, dates and raisins. Desserts can be home-made, prepared with organic jaggery or dates.

Move more

If you want to bid farewell to PCOD forever, you have to fall in love with moving more. That could be walking, running, swimming, cycling, yoga, weight training, zumba, dancing, climbing stairs, doing more house chores or anything that requires your body to move. If you have a sitting job, get up and walk around after every 60 – 90 minutes. Most importantly, always include some form of strength training in your workout regime. If you can spare only 20 – 30 minutes a day to exercise, spend that time doing some form of resistance training rather than walking/running.

Get enough sleep

Regular sleep is important to maintain hormone health. Aim for at least eight hours of sleep daily and keep a regular sleep schedule. Ideally, go to bed by 10pm and avoid seeing any screens at least an hour before bedtime. Sleeping and waking up at a regular time helps to regulate your body clock, which in turn harmonises your hormones. If you can, also take a 30 minute power nap at mid-day. Sleep will also speed up your weight loss efforts.

Keep away from hormone disruptors

Certain foods, such as dairy, can disturb the hormone balance in your body and hence, should be completely avoided. The milk available these days is produced using a lot of hormones and chemicals that are entering our body through the milk. Avoid using plastic containers for storing or heating food and water. Plastic contains certain chemicals that are released in the food and water when it is heated. Instead, use glass or steel containers and bottles. Avoid using the microwave for cooking or reheating food.

The post Want freedom from PCOD? Make these five changes appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

Estimates suggest that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome [PCOS] affects 5 – 10 per cent of women of reproductive age. The symptoms of PCOS are any or all of the following: hair fall, irregular menstruation, acne, pimples, baldness, dandruff, miscarriage, facial hair, weight gain, high blood pressure and sugar imbalances due to insulin resistance. PCOS also increases the risk of heart attack, diabetes, stroke, anxiety disorder, depression and uterine cancer.

But every problem has an inherent solution. The good news is that a regulated and disciplined lifestyle can reverse this problem. “PCOS is growing like an epidemic due to faults in the lifestyle, especially, in young girls. It can be completely kept under control without any complications through yoga, right diet and a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr Sudeshna Ray, Mumbai-based gynaecologist.

PCOS increases the risk of heart attack, diabetes, stroke, anxiety disorder, depression and uterine cancer

Let’s look at how yoga can help to manage PCOS

To treat PCOS, it is important to focus on the postures which help direct oxygen rich blood to the reproductive organs. Hence, all the asanas which are meant to stretch and expand the lower back and hips will fall in this category.

Prasarita Padotanasana

[wide legged forward bend]: Stand with your feet wide apart [4 – 5ft], bend forward to place your palms on the floor, inhale, raise your head up to get a concave back, bend your elbows, exhale and place your crown in between your palms. Maintain the posture with normal breathing for a while. Here’s a video to help you do the pose correctly.

Benefits of Prasarita Padotanasana:

• Stimulates your liver, kidneys, calves, hips, groin, knees and spine.
• Calms the mind and releases muscular stiffness.

Upavista Konasana

Sit with your legs stretched in front of you and spread as far apart as possible. Start bending forward as per your comfort, while exhaling. Your aim should be to finally touch your head to the floor and your hands to your toes.

Watch the video below of Upavista Konasana

Benefits of Upavista Konasana:

• Stretches and strengthens your hips, lower spine, and muscles from the upper chest to the pelvis.
• Helps the pelvic floor get increased blood supply.
• Eases the pain of sciatica, regularises menstrual flow, stimulates ovaries, and stretches hamstrings.
• Recommended during pregnancy as well.

Baddhakonasana

Sit with your feet in Namaste position [soles touching] for 1 – 2 minutes. Slowly bend forward and get into a comfortable, relaxed position as shown in the picture. Watch this video on how to do Baddhakonasana

Benefits of Baddhakonasana:

• Helps direct blood flow to the abdomen and pelvis thereby stimulating the abdominal organs, ovaries, uterus, bladder and kidneys.
• Helps with sciatica, menstrual irregularity, high blood pressure, asthma, infertility, depression and fatigue.
• Recommended for pregnant woman.

Apart from the ones mentioned above, asanas like utthita trikonasana, utthita parsavakonasana, paschimottanasana and adhomukha svasana are also beneficial. Additionally, the practice of Surya Namaskar alone can bring tremendous benefits and help keep weight in check. Surya Namaskar is a series of 12 postures which stretches and flexes the complete spine, works on the arms and the legs and internal organs and glands.

According to some schools of thought, it is best to avoid inversion postures if you have PCOS.

the practice of suryanamaskar alone can bring tremendous benefits and help keep weight in check

Managing the stress that comes with PCOS

Stress can be a cause of PCOS and also a result of it. Activating your parasympathetic nervous system with restorative postures, correct breathing and pranayama can help manage stress. Pranayamas promote deep relaxation and hormonal balance bringing adrenal and cortisol levels within control.

Ujjayi Pranayama [victory breathing]

Performed at the basic level, one needs to sit upright, and inhale and exhale while constricting the throat. You will hear ‘sa’ sound during inhalation and exhalation.

Benefits of Ujjayi Pranayama:

• Expands your lungs fully so that you utilise your lung capacity to the optimum.
• Generates vital energy, tones and soothes the nervous system, and balances high BP.

Nadi Shodhan Kriya [alternate nostril breathing]

This is popularly known as anulom vilom. You block your right nostril with your right thumb, inhale from the left nostril, then block left nostril with right ring and little finger, release right nostril and exhale. Then inhale from the right nostril, block right nostril again with right thumb, release left nostril and exhale from left nostril. This is one cycle.

Benefits of Nadi Shodhan Kriya:

A few cycles of anulom vilom where you are breathing mindfully can calm your mind, increase oxygen level in the body, relieve fatigue, strain and weakness and also lower high blood pressure.

Mudras for PCOS

These are hand gestures that can be held while doing pranayamas or at any other times during the day.

1. Gyan Mudra or Jnana Mudra is the mudra of wisdom. This mudra is performed by joining together the tips of the thumb and the index finger. Performing this mudra helps to increase will power. It also balances the function of the various glands and stabilises hormonal disorders. It is beneficial in sleeping disorders. Do this for 15 minutes daily.

2. Yoni Mudra is performed by joining the thumbs and the index fingers of both hands and interlocking the other fingers. Thumbs will face the ceiling and index fingers will be facing the floor. This mudra is specially designed for woman and helps to relieve PMS, periods irregularity and excess bleeding during periods. Do this for 30 minutes followed by 5 – 10 minutes of Pran Mudra.

3. Pran Mudra is performed by joining the tips of little fingers and ring fingers with the tips of the thumb. It helps reduce tension, anger and irritability. Also relieves skin rashes, improves eyesight and removes impurities from blood. Do this for 10 minutes daily.

Follow the whole series whenever convenient during the day.

Lifestyle management is the key to PCOS management. Hence, look at each aspect of your life, manage it positively and you will be relieved of this health concern.

If you have any further questions about how to manage PCOS with yoga, I will be happy to answer them for you. You may post your questions on ‘Ask Shammi’ segment on www.shammisyogalaya.com.

A version of this article was first published in the February 2016 issue of Complete Wellbeing.

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