Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)… Explained

As a woman who has struggled with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) for most of her life and didn't know squat about it, I feel it is important to educate women about this disease especially since it affects 5% to 10% of women of reproductive age.

What exactly is PCOS? Well, for starters it is an endocrine disorder that is characterized by high levels of androgens (male hormones). PCOS is often associated with insulin resistance, and the combination of high androgen levels and insulin resistance causes anovulatory dysfunction in women. Tiny follicles on the ovaries, which can be referred to as "cysts," usually surround the ovaries, resembling a string of pearls on ultrasound. These multiple cysts form because there is a hormonal imbalance in the woman's body.

Additional impacts of an overproduction of androgens in females is excessive hair growth on the face and body (hirsutism), hair loss from head (alopecia), acne and skin problems, and irregular, heavy, or absent periods. Women with PCOS who are insulin resistant, as in the majority of cases, will experience weight gain in the abdominal area, difficulties losing weight, intense cravings for carbohydrates, and hypoglycemic episodes. Let me tell you, these symptoms are NO FUN. I don't have every one of these symptoms, but I have enough to tell you that PCOS is no cake walk.

Even though I was diagnosed with PCOS in high school, I was NEVER told what was REALLY going on in my body. This is how my appointment went when I was diagnosed with PCOS:

Doctor: “Bridget, it appears you have a condition called PCOS. For you to get regular periods, you should go on the birth control pill to regulate your cycle. Oh, and possibly down the road, you will have trouble getting pregnant.”

Me (at sixteen years old): “Ok, thank you. I'll take the birth control pill. Aren't I supposed to be preventing pregnancy at sixteen anyway?”

There was no education. There was no explanation. And being sixteen years old, I didn't know where to even begin to educate myself on this disease. I was young. I was naive. And I was just following my doctor's orders.

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Much love,

Bridget