Coping Up With PCOD (Polycystic Ovary Disease)

Growing up to an obese teenage girl who tries too hard to hide those hideous pimples on their face and tries to achieve that flawless skin and toned body like the other girls in class or dealing with the killing torture of the male classmates when they say, “OH! Your beard looks like us” or “which razor do you use girl?” can be very demoralizing and depressing. That is PCOD Obesity, acne, excessive hair growth including the facial hair, irregular menstrual cycle, thinning of the scalp hair, all sums up to a major prevailing women health issue ‘PCOD’ or Polycystic Ovary Disease. In this blog we will learn about: Science behind PCOD Causes and symptoms of PCOD PCOD and Lifestyle changes. SCIENCE BEHIND PCOD PCOD is a condition which affects women’s hormones level. Women dealing with PCOD produce higher than normal amount of male hormones(androgens). These male hormones lead to irregular or skipped menstrual cycles and difficulty in conceiving a baby. PCOD or PCOS is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It’s a condition that affects the ovaries, and estrogen & progesterone building organs. In PCOS, multiple, fluid-filled sacs grow inside the ovaries; these sacs are underdeveloped eggs which never reach to ovulation. The lack of ovulation alters the hormone levels. ( Pic courtesy by google) The 3 main factors of PCOD are: Irregular or skipped periods Irregular hormones Cysts in ovaries CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF PCOD: There are many reasons for developing PCOD. The main causes are an unhealthy lifestyle, high level of stress, consumption of high GI foods, too much processed and junk food and genes. All these conditions increase the level of male hormones in women. Some women start seeing symptoms around the time of their first period. Others only discover they have PCOS after they’ve gained a lot of weight or they’ve had trouble getting pregnant. The most common PCOS symptoms are: Rapid weight gain Irregular periods Acne and oily skin Facial hair growth Baldness Heavy and painful periods Migraine and headaches Dark patches on the skin Depression Mood swings Difficulty in losing weight PCOD AND LIFESTYLE The one and the only way to reverse PCOD is maintaining and following a healthy lifestyle which includes exercising and eating right. One can regulate their menstrual cycle just by losing 5-10% of their body weight. Working out at least 150 minutes per week reduce the chances of PCOD. It is generally found in women who have a high insulin level. A diet rich in refined carbohydrates such as starchy and sugary foods leads to a high level of insulin since the more sugar you eat, the more insulin will be secreted. FOODS TO INCLUDE IN DIET HIGH FIBER FOOD: Cruciferous vegetables, greens, berries, beans, almonds, sweet potato, squash, pumpkin, etc LEAN PROTEIN: Tofu, chicken, Eggs and fish ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOOD: tomatoes, kale, spinach, olive oil, flax seeds, turmeric, omega-3 fatty acid, etc. FOOD TO AVOID REFINED CARBOHYDRATES: White bread, pastries, muffins, white flour, sugary items, pasta, noodles made of durum wheat, etc SUGAR: sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose INFLAMMATORY FOOD: red meat, processed meat, fries, white potato, etc The symptoms associated with PCOS can cause stress and depression which again lead to the secretion of the hormone Cortisol which leads to weight gain. Stress techniques, which help calm the mind and let you connect with your body, can help. These include yoga and meditation. The bottom line is if you’re coping with PCOS or any of its symptoms, you may feel frustrated at times. Taking proactive steps regarding your health can improve your mood as well as reduce your symptoms. If you visit a doctor, the first thing that he will say is, “lose weight”. Following a healthy diet is critically necessary if you have PCOD. Neglecting it makes it worse and can have major repercussions. DO NOT neglect or compromise on your health. Let’s fight PCOD, TOGETHER.