Monday, July 9, 2012

Poly cystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD)

PCOD is very common hormonal imbalance found in women of reproductive age group (14 to 40 years).In this post I will try to mention few facts about this condition as every day women young and not so young visit me and are perturbed to know that they have PCOD/PCOS.
What is PCOD : It is a hormonal imbalance and a very common one.Every 4th female has an ultrasound which suggests PCOD and every 10th female has PCOS ie associated symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms of PCOD : Irregular periods,scanty periods,out of proportion weight gain with more of fat in the mid tummy(android pattern of obesity),hair fall,increased body or facial hair,acne and difficulty in loosing weight despite exercise.

Why do the periods become irregular? : Every month after ovulation a woman gets either regular periods or gets pregnant.If due to any reason your body isn't producing egg regularily you will have irregular periods.As in PCOD body produces eggs irregularly one has irregular periods.

Do I have actual cysts ? :No you don't have actual Ovarian cysts!!Follicles the cells which are meant to be egg don't get released from the ovary causing ultrasound images which gives an appearance as if their are multiple small cysts which actually are your follicles which got arrested at the size of around 10 mm and couldn't reach upto 18 to 20 mm  or more to form egg.

Why do I have PCOD ? : Sorry !! Medical science doesn't have an answer to this.It can be Genetic,Lifestyle disorder or other reasons which we are not aware of.

What Hormonal Imbalance do I have ? You have more of male hormone in your body rather than a woman who doesn't have PCOD/PCOS.You also have Insulin resistance which means that your body has to produce more Insulin to keep blood sugar levels normal.Insulin has weight gaining tendency and that explains the weight gain with PCOD.

Long term effects of PCOD : For conception you might need medicines.You are at increased risk of Diabetes,raised cholesetrol levels,increased chance of raised Blood Pressure and increased chance of uterine cancer if you miss your periods regularly.

Treatment : As of now,PCOD can be controlled but not cured.One might need OCPills,Anti male hormone medicines like aldactone ,metformin(medicines which decrease insulin resistance).It is a long term treatment...........There is no point thinking that these medicines will cure your disease.As long as you take  it your periods are normal along with other symptoms but a stoppage of medicine results in reversal of symptoms.Yes we can't cure them,so don't get disheartened when your doctor provides you this information.With medicines and healthy life style your life is as normal as that of anybody else.

Effect on Pregnancy : Conception might be difficult.Once conceived there is 3 fold increase risk of miscarriage and also there is increased risk of Diabetes of pregnancy.For both these conditions,metformin has been found to be helpful.

DIAGNOSED WITH PCOD......DON'T GET SCARED.IT IS A CHRONIC CONDITION BUT NOT A LIFE THREATNING CONDITION.WITH PROPER MEDICINES AND LIFE STYLE YOUR ARE AS NORMAL AS ANYBODY ELSE.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doctor i need to see you at earliest please...

Dr Kaushiki Dwivedee said...

Please contact on 9899559807 to get an appointment.

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