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Are you struggling with excessive hair growth and acne, difficulty in getting pregnant, weight gain, and chronic menstruation irregularities? If you answered “Yes” to any of the above symptoms, you may be one of the 5-10% of women across the globe who suffers from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a condition that causes irregular menstrual periods because monthly ovulation is not occurring and levels of androgens (male hormones) are elevated. Women with PCOS have a hormonal imbalance and metabolism problems that may affect their overall health and appearance.
The hormonal imbalance creates problems in the ovaries. The ovaries make the egg that is released each month as part of a healthy menstrual cycle. With PCOS, the egg may not develop as it should or it may not be released during ovulation as it should be.
Symptoms of PCOS
• Irregular menstrual cycle – Women with PCOS may miss periods or have fewer periods (fewer than eight in a year). Or, their periods may come every 21 days or more often. Some women with PCOS stop having menstrual periods.
• Too much hair on the face, chin, or parts of the body where men usually have hair. This is called “hirsutism.” Hirsutism affects up to 70% of women with PCOS.
• Acne on the face, chest, and upper back
• Thinning hair or hair loss on the scalp, male-pattern baldness
• Weight gain or difficulty losing weight
• Darkening of skin, particularly along neck creases, in the groin, and underneath breasts
• Skin tags which are small excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area
Role of Hormones
Imbalances of the hormones like testosterone, insulin, and progesterone play a critical role in the various symptoms of PCOS and the other conditions that may be associated with it.
• During a woman’s menstrual cycle, FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) plays a key role in the growth and maturation of the ovarian follicle (a small fluid-filled sac in the ovary containing an immature egg)
• LH (luteinizing hormone) is responsible for the rupture of the mature ovarian follicle which releases an ovum for fertilization as well as the production of testosterone and progesterone.
• Abnormalities in LH and FSH production may lead to the inability to ovulate and also increases testosterone production and decreases progesterone production.
a) Testosterone
Testosterone is one of the androgenic sex hormones found in higher concentrations in men than in women, and play a role in the development of male characteristics. Testosterone is produced when the reproductive system is stimulated by LH.
PCOS patients with abnormally high testosterone levels present following symptoms –
• Hirsutism develops in androgen-sensitive areas such as the chest, upper lip, chin, back, and abdomen.
• Acne is caused in these androgen-sensitive areas when sebaceous glands in the skin begin to overproduce sebum.
• In hair follicles on the scalp, testosterone is broken down into dihydrotestosterone and results in male-pattern balding.
b) Insulin
Insulin is a metabolic hormone that helps the body to utilize glucose. PCOS patients commonly suffer from a weight-related metabolic condition called Insulin Resistance, where the body is not sensitive to insulin spikes after the consumption of food. Insulin is needed to help glucose to penetrate cells of the body. Poor utilization of insulin increases its levels in the blood and this may lead to increased testosterone.
c) Progesterone
Progesterone is the hormone made by the ovary after an egg is released. Patients with PCOS have sporadic or absent ovulation, so they are not making progesterone for two weeks every cycle. This lack of progesterone leads to an imbalance in the ovary, causes the stimulation of male hormones and leads to irregular periods.
PCOS treatment can be effectively managed with Ayurvedic medicines along with lifestyle modifications. Ayurveda has few best PCOS medicine & has described several herbs which are known to correct the hormonal imbalance in PCOS.
Hyponidd Tablet is a unique ayurvedic formulation for maintaining reproductive health in women. Herbs like Vijaysaar, Haridra help to balance hormones and thereby proves to be the best PCOS medicine. It is used for the PCOS treatment on account of its role as a hormone balancer and also for regulating metabolism.
