Women's Health: PCOS Review: Causes and Symptoms of PCOS

Hi Gals! I know your following my articles about PCOS (to those women who have this syndrome). This time I'm sharing it with you on what my doctors telling me about the symptoms and the causes of PCOS.

What are the Causes of PCOS?

There is disagreement and uncertainty as to what causes polycystic ovarian disease. Polycystic ovaries and polycystic ovary syndrome have been associated with one or more of these factors:

• Genetic predisposition.
• Insulin resistance or hyperinsulinism (high blood levels of insulin).
• Obesity.
• Hyperandrogenism (excessive production of male hormones).
• Abnormality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (organ/hormonal disorder).
• Environmental chemical pollution (hormonal disruptors)
• Food adulterantion (excitatory amino acids, for example)
• Chronic inflammation.

Some of these causal factors may also be consequences of polycystic ovary disease. In other words, we have an amazingly complex network of interacting variables, each of which influences the other. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is not a simple disease with a single cause.

PCOS SYMPTOMS:

Polycystic ovarian syndrome presents a complex and baffling array of symptoms, consisting of some combination of the following symptoms that vary with each individual:

• Multiple ovarian cysts
• Irregular or absent menses
• Infertility
• Acne
• Obesity or inability to lose weight
• Excessive body or facial hair (hirsutism)
• Insulin resistance and possibly diabetes
• Thinning of scalp hair
• Velvety, hyperpigmented skin folds (acanthosis nigricans)
• High blood pressure
• Polycystic ovaries that are 2-5 times larger than healthy ovaries.
• Multiple hormone imbalances, commonly including:
  • Androgens (testosterone)
  • Cortisol
  • Estrogens
  • FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)
  • Insulin.
  • LH (luteinizing hormone)
  • progesterone
  • Prolactin.
  • Thyroid hormones.
• Impaired lung function.
• Sleep apnea.
• Fatty liver degeneration (NAFLD).
• Depression

Read more about the PCOS review here.

Women's Health: PCOS Review

I have this syndrome also since my single years until now I got married for 2 years. I don't know what to do and I don't understand this syndrome. I research this and my OB-Gyne explained to me what is PCOS, how to get this and what are the symptoms because I really really want to have a child. In this article, I am sharing it with you to those women who have this syndrome also.

WHAT IS PCOS?

In each menstrual cycle, follicles grow on the ovaries. Eggs develop within those follicles, one of which will reach maturity faster than the others and be released into the fallopian tubes. This is "ovulation". the remaining follicles will degenerate.

In the case of polycystic ovaries, however, the ovaries are larger than normal, and there are a series of undeveloped follicles that appear in clumps, somewhat like a bunch of grapes. Polycystic ovaries are not especially troublesome and may not even affect your fertility.

However, when the cysts cause a hormonal imbalance, a pattern of symptoms may develop. This pattern of symptoms is called a syndrome. These symptoms are the difference between suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome and from polycystic ovaries.

So we can have polycystic ovaries without having PCOS. However, nearly all women with PCOS will have polycystic ovaries. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is the name given to a metabolic condition in which a woman will have polycystic ovaries, along with a certain pattern of other symptoms that reflect imbalances in reproductive and other hormones.

Let’s define some terms:

• "Syndrome" simply means a set of symptoms that occur together, in a pattern.
• "Polycystic" means there is an accumulation of incompletely developed follicles (cysts) in the ovaries.
• "Polycystic ovarian syndrome" refers to a health disorder where there may be many cysts in the ovaries, accompanied by a distinctive pattern of symptoms.
• "Metabolic" refers to the physical and biochemical processes required for the body to function.

"Polycystic ovary syndrome" is the name given to a metabolic condition in which a woman will have cystic ovaries, along with a certain pattern of other symptoms that reflect imbalances in reproductive and other hormones.

They referred to polycystic ovary syndrome as a “metabolic disorder”. By this they mean that there are numerous factors in basic body processes that have gone awry. Because our body is a unified whole, a problem or dysfunction in one area causes dysfunction in other areas. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a dysfunction that is related in some way to our whole body, not just our ovaries.

I'm so sorry to stop my articles about PCOS here because I need to go my aerobics class. Find out the next article about the causes and symptoms of PCOS...

Turbocharge Diet Recipe

Snacks and meals for our pick-and-choose plan.

The tasty snacks, lunches and dinners here are sure to satisfy your hunger while also helping to whittle your waist. They're perfect when you need to whip up something fast, too--preparation times are 12 minutes or less.

Here are the turbocharge diet recipe for you:

1. Better Than Deli Tuna Salad. Preparation time 10 minutes.

---Fresher, leaner, and full of crunch--you'll swear off deli tuna salad after enjoying this slimmed-down version. Serve on a bed of crisp mixed greens spritzed with lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, or spread the salad on GG Scandinavian Bran Crispbreads.

1 can (3 oz) water-packed tuna, drained and flaked
1 hard-boiled egg white, chopped
1/4 c each finely chopped red and green bell peppers
1/4 c chopped celery
2-3 Tbsp. chopped dill pickle
1 1/2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. chopped red onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Procedure:

In salad bowl, combine all ingredients and stir with fork to blend well. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 1 serving (1 1/2 cups)
Per Serving: 230 cal, 25 g pro, 9 g carb, 10 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 45 mg chol, 1 g fiber, 180 mg sodium

2. Mustard-Crumbed Chicken. Preparation time: 8 minutes, cook 17 minutes.

---Good with steamed vegetables. Try a colorful and healthful assortment including carrots, turnips, green beans, and red peppers.

1 Tbsp. grainy mustard
1 Tbsp. plain fat-free yogurt
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 4-oz boneless, skinless, chicken breast half
3 GG Bran Crsipbreads, crumbled, put in a resealable plastic freezer bag, and crushed fine with a rolling pin (about 1/4 c)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Coat small baking pan with olive oil and cooking spray.
2. In a small shallow bowl, mix mustard, yogurt, and seasoning. Turn chicken in mixture to coat both sides. Put crumbs on sheet of wax paper and roll chicken in crumbs.
3. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Mist chicken with olive oil cooking spray. Bake until chicken is no longer pink in thickest part, 15-17 minutes. Serve hot.

Makes 1 serving.
Per serving: 230 cal, 30 g pro, 18 g carb, 3 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 65 mg chol, 3 g fiber, 440 mg sodium

3. Scallop and Vegetable Packets. Preparation time: 12 minutes. Cooking time: 20 minutes.

--- Makes great dish for busy people. In short order the scallops and veggies are on the table--with no stirring and no pots to wash!

2 c packed yellow spinach
2 c slice yellow summer squash
1 lb sea scallops, rinsed about patted dry, tough tendon at sides removed
20 slender asparagus spears, tough ends snapped off, cut in 2" lengths (about 2 c)
4 slices sweet onions, rings separated
4 slices tomato
1/3 c chopped Italian parsley
4 tsp vermouth or dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven 425 F. Set out 2 rimmed baking sheets.
2. Tera off 4 20"-long sheets of heavy-duty foil. Fold each piece crosswise like a book, then open up. Coat one half of each sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
3. In center of each sprayed half, arrange 1/2 cup spinach, 1/2 cup squash, one quarter (4 ounces) of the scallops, 1/2 cup asparagus, 1 slice onion, and 1 slice tomato, Sprinkle with heaping tablespoon parsley. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon vermouth, and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
4. Fold other side of foil over food. Crimp edges tightly to seal. Place packets on baking sheets.
5. Bake until scallops are opaque in thickest part and vegetables are tender about 20 minutes. Transfer contents of each pocket to a heated dinner plate and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings:
Per serving: 140 cal, 22 g ro, 10 g carb, 1 g fat, 0 g sat fat, 35 mg chol, 2 g fiber, 510 mg sodium

4. Roasted Sage-Lemon Salmon. Preparation time: 4 minutes. Cooking time: 12 minutes.

---This is a super recipe that goes together in minutes any leftovers are terrific cold for lunch next day.

1 1/4 lb skinned salmon fillet, cut in 4 5-oz portion.
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp dried sage, crumbled
3/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
lemon wedges

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Coat rimmed baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
2. Place salmon on baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with lemon juice. In cup, mix sage, pepper and salt with your fingers. Sprinkle evenly over salmon.
3. Roast salmon until just opaque in thickest part, 9 - 12 minutes, depending on thickest.
4. Transfer to warmed dinner plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 260 cal, 28 g pro, 2 g carb, 15 g fat, 3 g sat fat, 85 mg chol, 0 g fiber, 320 mg sodium