Women between the ages of 15 and 45 are no strangers to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) — the condition affects between 7% and 10% of American women in this age group.
Unfortunately, there’s no single drug or therapy that can cure PCOS, but that doesn’t mean that you’re without options.
Because September is PCOS Awareness Month in the US, Dr. Fernando Otero and the team of reproductive health experts at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley want to review some great management strategies when it comes to PCOS.
No two women have the same symptomology with PCOS because it’s a hormone disorder that touches many different areas of your health. From an excess in androgen hormones to insulin resistance, the influence of PCOS can spread far and wide, so it’s important that you have a medical team that can connect the dots.
For example, bad acne and missed periods are common side effects of PCOS, but it takes a trained eye to link the two seemingly unrelated issues.
So, to manage your PCOS well, it’s a great idea to enlist specialists in reproductive health issues like PCOS, such as the team here at our practice.
Some of the frontline treatments for PCOS involve medications, such as:
Women with PCOS often find relief with hormone medications that regulate periods and get rid of side effects like acne and excess body and facial hair.
Up to 80% of women with PCOS develop insulin resistance, which we can offset with insulin-sensitizing medications that will help treat many of the side effects, including getting your ovaries to ovulate properly again. As well, these medications can prevent you from turning the corner into Type 2 diabetes.
We can also prescribe medications that address androgen excess. These medications can prevent androgen production, as well as androgen activity.
There’s much that we can do to manage certain symptoms of PCOS, such as excessive hair growth and acne. These types of symptoms have their own medications and treatment protocols, and we can bring them all to the table to address your needs.
The relationship between your weight and PCOS is a direct one — as many as 4 out of 5 women with PCOS also have obesity.
Combining obesity with PCOS can lead to a host of potential health complications, so one of the best practices for managing PCOS is to lose weight. In fact, losing just 5% of your total body weight can lead to significant improvement in your PCOS symptoms.
Of course, there are other best practices when it comes to managing PCOS, but it’s best for us to first sit down with you to figure out which symptoms you want to address.
For a more customized management plan for your PCOS, we invite you to contact one of our offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to schedule an appointment.
