PCOD: Let us understand the disease.

Polycystic Ovarian Disease, or PCOD, is a hormonally imbalanced condition in which the ovaries begin to overproduce immature eggs, which then build up inside the ovary. PCOD affects a woman’s menstrual cycle and total health. PCOD and PCOS are slightly different. PCOS happens when the ovaries overproduce male hormones. However, more on that later. 

Our discussion in this article revolves around PCOD’s symptoms, causes, and treatment. 

Symptoms

• irregularity in the menstrual cycle: Women with PCOD experience irregular or long menstrual cycles. The period cycle can be as long as 35 to 40 days, and some people can also experience heavy periods.

• • Excessive facial or body hair growth, or hirsutism. 

• Acne: Women experience continuous outbreaks on the face, back, or chest.

• Weight Gain: Women often gain weight abruptly, especially in the abdomen area.

•  Mood swings: This symptom can often be confused with PMS, but it isn’t. These mood swings might last longer than just a week and cause you to experience depression, anxiety, etc.

• Darkening of skin: You might experience dark patches in the neck region or under the bust. This condition can also be called acanthosis nigricans.

Advertisment

Causes 

Lifestyle habits: People nowadays have poor eating habits. Life has become sedentary, and the food we eat is adulterated to the core. Our sleep cycles are disrupted, and our cardiac rhythm is offbeat.

Insulin resistance: Women who have PCOD are insulin resistant, meaning that higher insulin levels result from their cells' inability to react to insulin.

Hormonal imbalance: due to androgen overproduction, the menstrual cycles get irregular. 

Genetic disease: if your family has a history of PCOD or PCOS, you are likely to develop it too.

Treatment

Advertisment

We can start with the basics because PCOD does not always require medicines. Lifestyle changes are the most basic changes we can make. Following a healthy diet, exercising four days a week, and making a good sleep schedule. Yoga and sattvic living can also help cure PCOD.

Birth control pills and anti-androgen medications are prescribed if there is an excess of androgen.

Infertility is not usually a result of PCOD; however, if it is a concern, fertility treatments such as ovulation induction or assisted reproduction methods can be pursued.