If you’ve been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you’re in good company — the condition affects about 1 in 10 women of childbearing age.
There are ways to manage PCOS — a hormonal condition that can impact your health and wellness.
At our gynecologic care practice, Dr. Karen F. Brodman specializes in women’s health issues, such as PCOS, and we have extensive experience in this arena.
In this month’s blog post, we’ll discuss some great management practices for PCOS, which can help rebalance metabolic health and improve quality of life.
Before we dive into the management strategies for PCOS, it’s important to understand what occurs when you have PCOS.
First, the name polycystic ovary syndrome is a bit misleading as it places the emphasis on cysts on your ovaries. In reality, PCOS is a condition when your ovaries are producing too many androgen hormones, which are associated with more male characteristics.
This increase in androgens creates an imbalance in your overall reproductive hormones, which can lead to issues with ovulation and cysts. That said, you can have PCOS without cysts on your ovaries.
In other words, cysts are just one symptom of PCOS. Others include the following:
Symptoms range from mild to severe, depending upon the extent of the hormonal imbalance.
There’s no cure for PCOS. That’s why we focus on management strategies to minimize your symptoms and help rebalance your hormones.
Once we test your reproductive hormone levels and review your symptoms, we can create a management plan that might include:
One of the first stops in treating PCOS is hormonal medications that can help offset the androgen hormones with estrogen and progesterone hormones. We can also try anti-androgen medications that block some of the side effects of the androgen hormones, such as body and facial hair.
There’s also a link between PCOS and insulin resistance, so diabetes medications may help manage your PCOS.
There is a strong link between obesity and PCOS — up to 88% of women with PCOS also have weight challenges.
Carrying excess pounds can have a major impact on your metabolic health and lead to issues like PCOS and insulin resistance. While we can counter some of this through medications, a better approach is losing unhealthy pounds.
We’re here to help guide the way forward to a healthier weight and better metabolic health.
If you’re struggling to conceive because of PCOS, we can try medication that encourages ovulation. If this proves unsuccessful, we can discuss other ways of family building, such as in vitro fertilization.
We can manage your PCOS. If hair thinning concerns you, we can suggest treatments that promote hair growth. If acne is an issue, we can treat this common skin condition with targeted medications.
The bottom line is that managing PCOS is often a multi-pronged approach, and we can make a difference and improve your quality of life by working together to manage the condition.
To discover which PCOS management plan is best for you, we invite you to schedule an appointment with Dr. Bordman at our office on the Upper West Side of New York City today.
