PCOS -Awareness Lecture

1. Dr. Fahmida Rashid Swati
FCPS,MS
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Chittagong Medical College

3. What PCOS girls feel...
“ ’
• “I feel so completely unattractive that I think I’ll never be
happy”
• I don t feel like a woman, more like a post-op
transvestite”
• “I have thick black hair like a man’s beard, I am totally
ashamed and cry most mornings when I have to run to the
bathroom before my fiancé to shave and slap on makeup
to hide the stubble”

4. Harnaam Kaur, 24, from the UK,
suffers from polycystic ovary
syndrome, a reproductive condition
that can lead to male-pattern hair
growth in some women, and says
she now loves her beards and have
stopped trying to get rid of it.
Harnaam said hair on her chin
started growing when she was just
11 years old and she had to endure
years of bullying and people making
fun of her.
Harnaam, who was photographed as
one of the people with the most
beautiful beards in the UK, had once
attempted suicide, and in the past
she had tried to wax, bleach and
shave the beard.

6. Over 10 million
women suffer from
PCOS globally

7. The name Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome refers to the
enlarged ovaries that contain many very small cysts

8. PCOS/PCOD is a harmonal disorder common along
women of reproductive age .PCOS is a “syndrome,”
or group of symptoms that affects the ovaries and
ovulation.
Its three main features are:

12. Male hormone
-Androgen

14. PCOS Symptoms
“Thief of womanhood
• Irregular or complete lack of periods
• Irregular or no ovulation
• Unwanted facial and / or body hair
• Oily skin and acne
• Male pattern hair loss
• Depression and mood changes
• Weight problems

15. IRREGULAR MENSTRUAL PERIODS IN
PCOS
Irregular periods
Heavy bleeding Infertility

18. This is as a result of the
excessive accumulation
of androgens

19. Up to 80 percent of women with PCOS are overweight or
obese

20. .

23. Headaches

24. To get pregnant, you have to
ovulate.
Women who don’t ovulate
regularly don’t release as many
eggs.
PCOS - leading causes of
infertility

26. Both obesity and PCOS increases
risk for:
 High Blood Sugar
 High Blood Pressure
 Low Good Cholesterol
 High Bad Cholesterol.
Together, these factors are called metabolic
syndrome
and they increase the risk for:
heart diseases
diabetes
Stroke ( blood flow to your brain is interrupted)

27. Both hormonal changes and symptoms like unwanted hair growth can negatively
affect your emotions.
Many with PCOS end up experiencing depression and anxiety

28. During ovulation, the uterine lining sheds.
If you don’t ovulate every month, the lining can build up.
A thickened uterine lining can increase your risk for
Endometrial cancer

31. Whentoseeyourdoctor?
If you think you may have PCOS, you need to see doctor

32. An ultrasound of the uterus, ovaries and the pelvis can be carried out
to identify whether there are any cysts on your ovaries and whether
an ovary is enlarged.

33. Blood tests are used to assess the levels of androgens(male
Hormone) in your body.

34. For Diabetes - links between PCOS and insulin resistance and
being overweight.

35.  the symptoms are treatable by:
A healthy lifestyle
Maintaining a healthy weight
Medications prescribed by your
doctor
PCOS is not curable
Once you have it,
It stays for lifetime

37.  Limit foods with added sugars
 Sodas
 Cookies
 Sugary drinks
 Candy
Take High Protein And Low Crab
Diet
o More whole grains
o Lean meats
o More fruits and vegetables
o Non-fat dairy products

38. If overweight, reduce current calorie
intake by 500 to 1,000 calories per day.
Make total fat less than 30 percent of your total source of
calories for the day.
Switch higher-fat foods for fiber, whole-grain breads
and cereals, fruits, and “good” sources of fats, such as
nuts and avocados.
Eat less than 200 milligrams of cholesterol a day.
Avoid trans fats whenever possible.
Incorporate an additional 5 to 10 grams
of fiber in your diet per day.

39. Walk for 30 to 45 minutes a day on a
treadmill or outdoors.

40. Vigorous intensity aerobic exercise was the most likely to
reduce body mass index (BMI) and insulin resistance in women
with PCOS
Vigorous exercise and healthy diet interventions
resulted in the greatest decreases in BMI
Exercise types to consider
--Steady-state cardiovascular workouts
--High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
---Interval training
---Mind-body exercises
---Strength training

44. Reducing stress
Taking walks outside and creating space in your life
for relaxation and self- care can also reduce how
stressed you feel.

45. Skin discolouration
• Treatment
- Weight loss
- Laser (?)
Source: Dr Alison Layton, consultant dermatologist

46. Treatment of hirsutism
• Weight loss
• Cosmetic means –
Bleaching
• Direct hair removal for hirsutism
–Short term effects for days of weeks
• Shaving, depilatories, plucking,
threading, waxing, epilators
–Longer lasting effects
• Electrolysis and lasers
Source: Dr Alison Layton, consultant dermatologist

51. How can you help?
• Be sensitive and understanding
- Embarrassed, judged, humiliated
• Awareness of PCOS
- Hair may grow back
• Encourage patients to get treatment
• Lifestyle change

52. “You have a choice about your life;
you can stay sad, and
eventually, you might be okay,
but you CAN have a positive and happy life,
so to do this,
you’ll need to take action.”