Women with unexplained abdominal obesity should beware of polycystic ovary disease

Gaining weight or having irregular menstruation are problems that almost every girl has encountered. But if you are experiencing missed periods, weight gain, thicker hair, and acne, you may want to check for polycystic ovary problems. Polycystic ovary syndrome is closely related to obesity and is a metabolic disease. If not treated, in addition to difficulty in getting pregnant, the risk of developing diabetes will be three times higher than that of the average person.

If a woman gains weight for no apparent reason, especially in the abdomen, she may be suffering from polycystic ovary disease.

Stop calling me fat. My ovaries are sick.

A 28-year-old Miss Li came to the weight loss clinic for the first time. She said that she loved to eat fried food and did not like to exercise. Recently, she not only gained weight, but also missed her period. The area above her lips was black as if she had a beard, and even her neck was black, as if she had not washed it cleanly. Even her family laughed at her for looking "fat, lazy and dirty", which made her feel very hurt, so she wanted to lose weight.

This kind of situation is not uncommon in weight loss clinics. Patients often seek treatment because of obesity problems. After diagnosis, they find that they also have gynecological health problems. Many patients even succeed in becoming pregnant after losing weight. In this type of situation, doctors will conduct relevant tests before making weight loss recommendations. If the blood test report shows excessive levels of androgen, the chances of being diagnosed with polycystic ovary disease are usually very high.

Diagnosis of polycystic ovary disease

The incidence of polycystic ovary disease in women of childbearing age is approximately 5-10%, which means that 1 in 10 women may have polycystic ovary disease. The study also showed that nearly 50% of patients with PCOS will experience symptoms of being overweight or obese. When patients with polycystic ovary disease undergo ultrasound, they will find many small cysts on both ovaries. These small cysts will secrete male hormones into the blood, causing symptoms in female patients, such as irregular menstruation, obesity, hirsutism, acne, male pattern baldness, infertility, etc.

The incidence of PCOS in women of childbearing age is approximately 5-10%.

★ To be diagnosed with polycystic ovary disease, two of the following three diagnostic criteria must be met:

1. Ovulatory dysfunction (abnormal menstruation).

2. Symptoms of excessive androgen (hirsutism, acne, androgenic alopecia) or a blood test to confirm high androgen levels.

3. Polycystic ovary morphology was found under ultrasound examination.

Polycystic ovary disease is prone to obesity

About 35-40% of women with PCOS are obese, primarily with increased waist circumference (androgenetic obesity). Patients with polycystic ovary disease will develop insulin resistance, and their cells will utilize insulin poorly, so the pancreas must compensatorily secrete more insulin, resulting in higher levels of insulin in the blood than normal people. The increase of insulin and androgen in the blood accelerates the synthesis of fat and causes obesity. Obesity will increase insulin in the blood, forming a vicious cycle. In addition to obesity, polycystic ovary disease is also prone to diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and metabolic syndrome.

Treatment of polycystic ovary disease focuses on diet control

1. Diet control and weight loss

According to research, if patients with PCOS can lose 5-10% of their body weight, they can reduce insulin resistance and androgen, and their ovulation function will also improve. Therefore, for obese patients with PCOS, actively changing their lifestyle habits, exercising more, and controlling their diet are the most important methods for treating PCOS.

2. Ovulation pills to help conception

For women with polycystic ovary syndrome who have difficulty conceiving, oral ovulation medications can be used to stimulate ovulation and increase the chances of pregnancy.

3. Oral contraceptives and anti-androgen drugs

For patients with polycystic ovary syndrome who have irregular menstrual periods and excessive androgen levels, oral contraceptives or androgen-lowering drugs can be used to suppress excess androgen, regularize menstrual cycles, and improve symptoms such as acne and hirsutism.

The primary way to treat PCOS is to improve your lifestyle, including diet control and adequate exercise. (Photo/Photo from this website)

4. Reduces Insulin Resistance

Doctors can prescribe medications that reduce glucose absorption and production, while increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin, improving obesity caused by insulin resistance, and of course, also improving the condition of excessive androgen.

Many women seek help from weight loss clinics after failing to lose weight on their own many times. Only then do they realize that obesity is not an original sin, but a problem with their endocrine system. They can't help but complain that they have gone through a lot of detours. Just like losing weight, the primary way to treat PCOS is to improve your lifestyle. Diet control plus moderate exercise will definitely achieve better results.

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