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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Information
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is also known as: sclerocystic ovarian disease; polycystic ovarian disease(PCOD) and Stein-Leventhal Syndrome.
PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS is actually a misnomer, because it only refers to one of many symptoms associated with this disorder. It affects between 5 to 10% of all women and is one of the leading causes of infertility. If the hormone imbalance is left untreated, the syndrome may lead to life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity, and uterine and endometrial cancers. Symptoms can be mild or severe, and can vary widely from woman to woman. This is part of the reason doctors often miss the diagnosis. Someone with PCOS may have one or all of the following symptoms in varying degrees: - irregular periods: abnormal, irregular, heavy or scanty (oligomenorrhea) - absent periods (amenorrhea) - ovarian cysts - hirsutism (excess facial and/or body hair) - alopecia (male-pattern hair loss) - obesity - acne - skin tags - acanthosis nigricans (brown skin patches, often found on the nape of the neck) - high cholesterol levels - high blood pressure - exhaustion and/or lack of mental alertness - decreased sex drive - excess "male" hormones, such as androgens, DHEAS, or testosterone - infertility - decreased breast size - enlarged clitoris(rare) - enlarged ovaries - enlarged uterus -insulin resistance -infertility It is possible to have the above symptoms and not have PCOS. However, most women with these symptoms, especially irregular menstrual cycles, do have PCOS. In fact, 80 percent of women with six or fewer periods per year have PCOS. Note that symptoms can worsen over time or with weight gain. |
Newsletter on Natural Treatments
Compliments of Electrawoman:
Nan Dunne Boggs Natural PCOS Newsletter P C O S__ HEALTH REVIEW Natural Health Ideas for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome A fr*e monthly newsletter for women with ovarian cysts or PCOS. Issue #004__ _________________ September 24, 2002 Nancy Dunne Boggs, N.D., Naturopathic Physician Bill Slater, Research Associate ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ o If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, want to update your email address, or if you've received this in error, go to the link at the very bottom of this message. o_ Do you know someone who could benefit from this newsletter?_ If so, please forward it to them. o_ If you're reading someone else's copy of this newsletter, why don't you subscribe right now for your own fr*e copy at http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/pcos-subscribe.html. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TABLE OF CONTENTS ***_ DOCTOR'S COMMENTARY *** 1)_ Answers to Your Questions 2)_ Important Changes to our Newsletter that Will Affect You ***_ QUESTIONS & ANSWERS *** 3)_ Getting Pregnant - A Burning Issue 4)_ What Are My Chances of Miscarriage? 5)_ What Can Help Me Get Pregnant Besides Hormone Therapy? 6)_ Will Plant Estrogens Increase My Risk of Cancer? 7)_ Did taking birth control pills when I was younger contribute to my PCOS? 8)_ Is it true that women with PCOS can only have one child? ***_ THE MONTHLY RESEARCH PEARL *** 9)_ NAC Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Women with PCOS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~DOCTOR'S COMMENTARY~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1)_ ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS Hello!_ Thanks to all who have written to tell us what's important to you._ We wish we had the time to individually and completely answer all of your questions!__ But we don't, because we're so involved in clinic practice and in writing our Natural Solutions for PCOS book. However, starting in this issue, we'll spend some time responding to some of your questions and concerns. We're also adding a new feature to our newsletter called "The Monthly Research Pearl"._ In the research process for writing our NATURAL SOLUTIONS FOR PCOS book, we come across interesting research that may be relevant to you. Rather than wait until our book is published, we'll sharing some of this information with you as we discover it. Sincerely, Nan Dunne Boggs, N.D. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~QUESTIONS & ANSWERS~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3)__ GETTING PREGNANT - A BURNING ISSUE By far the most common questions women ask us are about having successful pregnancies. --_ "My first and main concern is will I ever be able to have__ children and will they be healthy?…"__ --_ "My whole life I have wanted kids but last Thursday my dreams were shattered…"__ --_ "What are my chances of conceiving…?"__ --_ "I am heartbroken and fearful that I won't have children…" We plan to visit this important issue on a frequent basis._ For now, here's some basic information about PCOS and infertility. 40% to 80% of women with PCOS have a problem with fertility. The reason for this wide variation is that PCOS is a complex metabolic syndrome, with any number of ways to interrupt fertility._ In addition, some women have other factors that reduce fertility (like a husband with a low sperm count or a uterus scarred by a previous infection), which have nothing to do with PCOS._ If you have PCOS, it's difficult to estimate your chances of having a baby._ We don't have specific statistics about natural therapies for PCOS or their impact on fertility. However, common sense as well as the clinical experience of naturopathic physicians and acupuncturists indicates that improving your health will increase your chances for conception. Safe, nontoxic and effective natural therapies can shift you into regular ovulatory cycles that will produce thriving eggs. Whatever method you choose to achieve pregnancy, building and maintaining your well-being all the way through to motherhood is essential for having a successful pregnancy and healthy baby. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4)_ WHAT ARE MY CHANCES OF MISCARRIAGE?_ Q: "I have had this disease for almost fifteen years._ I've recently found out I'm pregnant and am concerned about the baby's health or the chance of a miscarriage." A: When a women with PCOS becomes pregnant, she is at risk for complications. More frequent early miscarriage is the primary risk. Gestational diabetes and high blood pressure can complicate the second and third trimesters. Blood sugar abnormalities can mean a large baby._ These babies have to be closely watched for hypoglycemia. They will usually be fine once they have established their skill at breast (or bottle) feeding and are getting steady nutrition._ If a woman develops high blood pressure in pregnancy, the blood flow to her baby may be slowed and result in a baby that is born small. Growth-restricted babies can have multiple developmental problems after birth. Most women with PCOS have normal, average-weight babies. Interestingly, it seems that those who have either remarkably small or large babies turn out to have been either very small or large at birth themselves! Get regular prenatal care to monitor your blood sugar and blood pressure so you can catch any problems before they develop. Allow your healthcare team to help you minimize unhappy outcomes. Early studies have suggested that the insulin-sensitizing agent metformin may be safe and useful in reducing the risk of first- trimester miscarriages. Currently, most practitioners who use metformin during ovulation induction discontinue its use once pregnancy occurs, or don't continue it beyond the first trimester. More study is needed to determine the safety and value of this drug during pregnancy. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5)_ WHAT CAN HELP ME GET PREGNANT BESIDES HORMONE THERAPY? Q: "What may help someone with PCOS in getting pregnant without the hormone replacement therapy" A: Weight loss, even as a little as 5%-7%, can decrease the amount of circulating androgens and thus help induce ovulation. Weight loss is also associated with decreased insulin and testosterone levels. In one study, reversal of ovarian dysfunction was striking, with 82% of women in the group showing marked improvement in fertility, including five pregnancies in women who had long- standing infertility.(1) Regular ovulation is a primary goal of all fertility treatments. Exercise by itself, with or without weight loss, improves regularity of ovulation. A study of adolescent women found a significant decrease in the frequency of self-reported acne, painful periods, and irregular menses in those engaging in more than eight hours of sports each week.(2) Although few studies have reported on the link between exercise and PCOS, it's clear that exercise has positive effects on obesity and insulin resistance, which are common attributes of PCOS. I also recommend you find or create a support group. A recent Harvard study showed that women who participated in an infertility support group had a 25% increase in their success rate over women who just got the usual infertility clinic care.(3)_ An excellent resource for PCOS support groups is the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association http://www.pcosupport.org/support/ According to a recent study, acupuncture timed with in-vitro fertilization increased conception rates._ The group receiving acupuncture had a success rate of 43% vs. only 26% for the control group.(4) Naturopathic physicians and acupuncturists who specialize in helping infertile couples have reported increased success for couples who have had failed attempts with fertility technology. Natural medicine and acupuncture have helped a significant number of women have their babies. These are anecdotal reports and the causes for the infertility are not exclusively due to PCOS. The support that natural medicines provide to reproductive function and basic health will inevitably help restore fertility in some women. We look forward to more research to confirm this common-sense approach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6)_ WILL PLANT ESTROGENS INCREASE MY RISK OF CANCER? Q: "Since people with PCOS already have long menstrual cycles and their uterus and breasts are subject to longer exposures to estrogens, thus increasing their risk of cancer, should they avoid foods high in phytoestrogens, e.g., soy products?" A: "Phytoestrogens" is the name given to a family of plant compounds that have both estrogenic and anti-estrogenic properties. Flaxseed, soy, alfalfa are examples of plants containing phytoestrogens. Research indicates that these plants, and isolated lignans (proteins) from these plants, have many protective effects in the body._ Consumption of flaxseed and its lignans increases SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) synthesis, as well as reduce breast tumor formation and growth. SHBG inhibits the action of testosterone._ Excessive testosterone contributes to infertility, hirsutism, and acne. Hundreds of research studies demonstrate that soy foods are safe. Soy has a moderating influence on both estrogen and testosterone. There is some evidence to suggest that the more the food has been processed to be drug-like, the more likely there could be adverse effects._ Therefore, eating soy beans in chile, putting ground flax seed in your smoothie, or having a tofu scramble for breakfast, is preferable to taking capsules of isolated soy proteins. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7)_ DID TAKING BIRTH CONTROL PILLS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER CONTRIBUTE TO MY PCOS? Q:_ "Now that I want to start a family, the dr's are finding answers to the problems. My mother thinks that it is because I was taking the birth control pill from age 19 to 25. Can this be a contributing factor for PCOS? Wouldn't this in turn help the problem? I was on 4 different kinds of birth control pills and still none of them made me regular." A: There is concern among some physicians about the use of oral contraceptives and the long-term impact on women with PCOS. Oral contraceptives reduce acne and hirsutism by inhibiting ovarian steroid hormone production. Oral contraceptives are also used to "flush" the endometrium (create a bleeding episode once a month) and reduce the suggested, but unproven, increased risk of endometrial cancer in PCOS. One study of 16 non-diabetic women with high testosterone levels showed that those treated with oral contraceptives developed a poorer glucose tolerance over six months. Two of the women actually developed diabetes.(5) This raises doubts about the safety of oral contraceptives for treating PCOS. The use of oral contraceptives to treat menstrual irregularities should be halted until further studies specifically determine the long-term effects of oral contraceptives on women with PCOS. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8)_ IS IT TRUE THAT WOMEN WITH PCOS CAN ONLY HAVE ONE CHILD? Q: "I heard of women only being able to have one child while dealing with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome._ Is that true?" A: A characteristic of PCOS is "early fertility", which means a woman with PCOS is more likely to conceive and give birth to one or two children when relatively young, say in her early to mid twenties. As she gets older, her PCOS symptoms become more entrenched, including irregular or no ovulation, and thus there are no more pregnancies later on. We presume this problem applies primarily to women who are not being properly treated. If you incorporate regular exercise, whole foods, appropriate protein, good quality fats, and fresh fruits and vegetables into your lifestyle, your health and fertility are less likely to follow this sad, unnecessary pattern. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~THE MONTHLY RESEARCH PEARL~~~~~~~~~~ 9)_ NAC IMPROVES INSULIN SENSITVITY IN WOMEN WITH PCOS ARTICLE TITLE:_ N-acetyl-cysteine treatment improves insulin sensitivity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, Fulghesu AM, et al, Fertil Steril 2002 Jun;77(6):1128-35 ARTICLE SUMMARY: This study evaluated the effect of N- acetyl-cysteine (NAC) on insulin secretion and peripheral insulin resistance in subjects with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Six lean and 31 obese subjects, aged 19-33 years, were treated for 5-6 weeks with NAC at a dose of 1.8 g/day orally._ A dose of 3 g/day was arbitrarily chosen for massively obese subjects. Six of 31 obese patients with PCOS were treated with placebo and served as controls. Before and after the treatment period, the hormonal and lipid blood profile and insulin sensitivity, assessed by an hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, were evaluated and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed. STUDY RESULTS:_ Fasting glucose, fasting insulin, and glucose area under curve (AUC) were unchanged after treatment. Insulin AUC after OGTT was significantly reduced, and the peripheral insulin sensitivity increased after NAC administration, whereas the hepatic insulin extraction was unaffected._ The NAC treatment induced a significant fall in T levels and in free androgen index values._ In analyzing patients according to their insulinemic response to OGTT, normoinsulinemic subjects and placebo-treated patients did not show any modification of the above parameters, whereas a significant improvement was observed in hyperinsulinemic subjects. STUDY CONCLUSTIONS: NAC may be a new treatment for the improvement of insulin circulating levels and insulin sensitivity in hyperinsulinemic patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. DR. DUNNE BOGGS' COMMENTS:_ N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an altered form of the amino acid cysteine, which is commonly found in food and synthesized by the body._ NAC supports your antioxidant system and thus helps prevent cell damage. It's available as a dietary supplement. I do NOT recommend that you start using NAC at the 1.8 – 3 gram (that's 1,800 – 3,000 milligrams) dose used in this study._ A qualified physician should assist you with this, especially if you are taking metformin._ However, 250-500 milligrams daily should be OK for a start. Although this is a small study, it suggests that NAC can play a role in improving your insulin sensitivity._ Many of you are taking metformin for the same purpose. Improved insulin sensitivity is crucial to reversing PCOS._ Our book will talk about NAC and all the other natural things you can do to control insulin and avoid the side effects of metformin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The numbers in parentheses in the above articles are footnotes to medical journal articles._ Go to http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/news.html to see the newsletter with complete footnote references included. For more information about Dr. Nancy Dunne Boggs, go to http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/ndb.html. How can we make this newsletter more valuable to you?_ What do you want to know?__ Please send your comments or questions to mailto:newsletter004@o... Dr. Nancy Dunne Boggs, N.D. may be contacted at: Bitterroot Natural Medicine 127 N. Higgins, Suite 202 Missoula MT 59802 Tel: 406-728-8544 Email: mailto:drdunne@o... Website: http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com Dr. Dunne Boggs is a Professional Member of the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DISCLAIMER~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The information in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease, and is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health program. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright 2002 Nancy Dunne Boggs and Bill Slater._ All rights reserved. |
Here are a couple websites that I have found that have great information about PCOS.
I sure learned alot just from these two sites. I hope you do too..:) http://www.pcosupport.org/ http://www.wdxcyber.com/index.htm |
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