Q: My niece, who is a teenager, is having a bad time with her periods. She has been told that she has polycystic ovary syndrome. Can anything be done to help her? Can you tell me more about this condition?
A: First of all, let me explain the difference between a woman who is
suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome and one who has polycystic ovaries. About 20 percent of women have ovaries that contain many cysts, but they do not have the abnormal hormone levels that are found in PCOS.
Read Also
Rural emergency room closures continue to be vexing problem
Staffing issues are at the root of disruptions and closures in hospital emergency departments, both in rural and urban Canadian locations.
It is not known whether these individuals are more likely to develop PCOS later in life. Performing a pelvic ultrasound and blood tests to check for elevated testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels may be needed to diagnose PCOS.
Women and girls with PCOS usually have period problems. These may be infrequent and irregular and when they do come are unusually heavy. This situation may not always be noticed for a while because teenagers have a tendency to go on the pill to control irregular periods, which often happens when a girl first starts to menstruate. It is only when she discontinues the oral contraceptives that PCOS may become evident.
The syndrome can lead to low fertility or infertility due to relatively infrequent ovulation. Some women may not ovulate at all, so treatment is necessary.
Other symptoms of PCOS are acne due to oily skin and excessive hairiness due to an excess production of male hormones called androgens. Women have these hormones as well as men, but usually in much lesser amounts.
Around 40 percent of PCOS sufferers become overweight and this may worsen the other symptoms. It is believed that the main, possibly inherited feature, of this complaint is an increased level of insulin in the blood. This in turn leads to overproduction of two male sex hormones.
A relatively new treatment for PCOS involves the use of a drug mainly used to treat diabetes known as Metformin. It acts by lowering insulin in the blood and helps with major weight loss and reduces body hair. It also lowers the otherwise high long-term risk of heart attack and stroke by lowering blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol.
Fertility is also restored. Blood sugar levels should be carefully monitored at first and at intervals later because too high a dose of Metformin could lead to blood glucose levels that are too low, causing dizziness, sweating and fainting.
Clare Rowson is a medical doctor with a practice near Belleville, Ont. Her columns are intended for general information only. Individuals are encouraged to also seek the advice of their own doctor regarding medical questions and treatments.
