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Polycystic ovary syndrome

What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) means that the woman’s body’s hormones are out of sync, leading to PCOS symptoms such as irregular periods, unwanted hair on face and chin, and often ultrasonography that shows small cysts (bubbles) in the ovary. PCOS can occasionally cause difficulty in getting pregnant (this is easily treatable). There is a slightly higher chance of developing diabetes in

My approach:

  1. Helping and supporting girls and women with PCOS is my passion and my forte. This is because a lot of friends and family have experienced or are still struggling with this condition.
  2. The Endocrinologist is the right person who should be managing young girls with PCOS right up until the time they get married and need fertility. This is because endocrinologists have a holistic approach to managing PCOS Symptoms – skin/period problems/weight and possible diabetes.
  3. I avoid any blame or shame. No one WANTS to have PCOS, so making the person responsible for their condition is unfair and counter-productive. It demotivates the person from going to the doctor at all. Women need help to understand their condition and what they can do to make it better. They are often repeatedly told to “LOSE WEIGHT” without guidance on achieving this mammoth task.
  4. My approach is to personalise the PCOS treatment as much as possible – is it the periods that are troubling? (Only intermittent 5 days medications every 45 – 60 days is enough). Is there excessive hair on the face? (this needs hormonal medications regularly with or without concomitant Laser therapy), if weight and diabetes is the problem – then small dose metformin works wonders.
  5. Over and above medical PCOS treatment options, understanding problems like binge eating / emotional eating, body image issues, associated depression and anxiety and continued support beyond the clinic for lifestyle modifications such as nutrition-based PCOS Diet is crucial to good outcomes.
  6. I helped a health technology company design a programme exclusively for girls with PCOS called the HEAL PCOS Programme to provide this support at a low cost. We teach girls with PCOS how to manage their diet and exercise slowly and healthily with a dedicated coach. Once the correct information is given, girls can control their treatment, leading to greater satisfaction and better outcomes.
  7. I encourage girls to join PCOS support groups like PCOS LOQUS (Founder Sharmistha Sharma) and PCOS Vitality (Founder – Maureen Busby) (have taken permission to host links to their support groups) for more information about their condition as well for support and friendship.
  8. When they realise they are not alone, many other girls struggle with the same problem, which comforts them. These resources are also accurate and scientific sources of information instead of misled by all the net misinformation.
  9. Finally, I try to practice shared decision-making to give all the options and then let the person and family decide what suits them best.

An informed patient is a Happy Patient.

PCOS | Dr Tejal Lathia | Endocrinologist in Mumbai

Polycystic ovary syndrome casts a shadow on the physical as well as mental health of young girls living with this condition.
Watch this video where we identify the need gaps in current PCOS management and how our digital therapeutics program HEAL PCOS co-designed with Team Fitterfly can greatly empower young girls to manage this condition better and lead healthy and happy lives.
Click on the link- https://lnkd.in/ghPBEnP

Blue Morpho Survey

Blue Morpho Survey is the brainchild of PunithKempegowda and his team at the University of Birmingham, UK. It is an endeavour to understand the experiences of people with PCOS from across the world. Understanding nuances like time to diagnosis of PCOS, body image concerns, eating habits, sexual function, and mental health challenges will help design better clinic experiences and build support systems to help people with PCOS as they deem appropriate.
If you are diagnosed with or suspected to have PCOS, please click on the link below to let us know about your experience. The survey is completely confidential and your personal details will not be shared with any third party. Could you help us help you better?

Please contribute to this survey.

https://bham.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/pcos-seva-blue-morpho-community-survey-india

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I have PCOS?

There’s a hormone or chemical called insulin in your body that regulates your blood sugar levels and other hormones and keeps your body healthy.  When your body stops reacting to it, you develop what is called insulin resistance.

Now coming to how this insulin resistance causes PCOS –

We all have female and male hormones in us, irrespective of our gender. The balance between them is important to keep us healthy. In PCOS, due to insulin resistance, there is an imbalance in these (slightly more male hormone), leading to symptoms like delayed or absent periods, excessive pimples and hair growth on face and chin, hair loss on the scalp, etc.

This triad of delayed periods, signs of an increased male hormone with or without USG clinch the PCOS diagnosis.

Once you’ve been diagnosed, you’ll be prescribed combination hormone pills which help in getting your female and male hormones to normal levels. Don’t worry – the newer combination pills are very safe and do not cause side effects, especially if you’re less than 40 years of age, are not very obese, have normal blood pressure and are a non-smoker. They will not prevent you from getting pregnant in the future.

If you only have irregular periods, we’ll treat you with lifestyle modifications like diet changes and exercise to achieve a 10% weight loss. E.g., If you weigh 70 kg, it is advisable for you to lose at least 7 kg to get regular periods again. Stick to the diet changes suggested by us and exercise regularly and you’ll be on your way to health soon!

If you have other problems like excessive hair loss or pimples, hair growth on face and chin, we might have to treat you with other medicines and refer you to a skin specialist as well.

Up to 70% of PCOS girls may have difficulty getting pregnant. However, with modern science and intensive lifestyle modification, most PCOS girls will get pregnant easily.

The commonest side effects of hormonal pills are slight nausea and vomiting. These usually wears off after taking the medication for a few days. Very few women need to discontinue the medicines because of this side effect. The other common side effect is a slight increase in triglycerides, a type of cholesterol. It can be managed with exercise.

Sometimes, the pills may worsen migraine in patients who already suffer from them. If you have a history of blood clots In your leg in the past or someone in your family has the same history, please tell your doctor.