What causes PCOS?
Obesity is a common finding in women with PCOS and between 40–80% of women with this condition are reported to be overweight or obese.
Familial aggregation of PCOS strongly supports a genetic susceptibility to this disorder but genes responsible for PCOS have not been clearly identified. Environmental factors (high-caloric diets and reduced exercise) also play a major role in the high prevalence of obesity in women with PCOS.
Obesity and PCOS
Read more about PCOS -
Obesity is a common finding in PCOS and aggravates many of its reproductive and metabolic features. About 25% of asymptomatic women with regular menses have PCO morphology on ultrasound. Many of these women have elevated androgen or luteinizing hormone (LH) levels, but some have normal reproductive function. Insulin resistance is a common finding in PCOS and is substantially worsened by obesity. Fasting insulin levels are increased in PCOS. Women with this condition are expected to have a high prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance. The risk for developing glucose intolerance is increased with increasing body mass index (BMI) and obesity.
Reproductive disturbances are more common in obese women regardless of the diagnosis of PCOS. Obese women are more likely to have menstrual irregularity and anovulatory infertility than normal-weight women. Weight reduction can restore regular menstrual cycles in these women. In obesity increased androgen production has been reported especially in women with upper-body obesity. In PCOS bioavailable androgen levels are increased especially with central obesity. Androgens play an important role in determination of body composition.
What can Oxidative stress cause to female fertility?
Oxidative stress is a condition where reactive oxygen species are overproduced & cannot be neutralised by the antioxidant system of body. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are molecules generated during body metabolism and they can influence the entire reproductive lifespan of a woman and menopausal period. ROS affect multiple physiological processes from oocyte maturation to fertilisation, embryo development and pregnancy. They serve as key signal molecules in the age-related decline in fertility.
Waist hip ratio is important in PCOS
BMI is a more sensitive, at least an important supplementary, diagnostic criterion of clinical/biomedical high androgen in PCOS than total testosterone. It is therefore critical for PCOS patients with clinical signs of androgen excess to maintain a normal body weight. Waist Hip ratio is a better predictor of metabolic syndrome in women with PCOS compared to other predictors including BMI.
Diet plays important role in PCOS
Lifestyle modifying measures, such as diet control and exercise, could play an important role in treatment of PCOS. Obese PCOS patients show more difficulty in losing weight by exercise than lean PCOS patients. Long-term maintenance of weight loss among obese population is less likely. The energy intake of obese women with PCOS is greater than that of obese women without the syndrome. Women with PCOS should restrict significantly energy intake in order to maintain a normal weight
Why Ovarian Drilling is advised in PCOS?
Laparoscopic ovarian drilling is a surgical treatment that can trigger ovulation in women who have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder found in approximately 6.5% of reproductive-age women , and is commonly associated with obesity, menstrual irregularity, infertility, insulin resistance (IR), and clinical hyperandrogenism and/or hyperandrogenemia. Ovarian drilling is not commonly used.but can be an option for women who are still not ovulating after losing weight and trying fertility medicines.
A moderate reduction in dietary carbohydrate reduced the fasting and postchallenge insulin concentrations among women with PCOS, which, over time, may improve reproductive/endocrine outcomes. PCOS women can present with mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and binge eating disorder. Weight loss improves menstrual irregularities, symptoms of androgen excess, and infertility in PCOD.
PCOS women can present with mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and binge eating disorder. Weight loss improves menstrual irregularities, symptoms of androgen excess, and infertility in PCOD.
Know more about PCOS, visit
