·
Women with PCOS are insulin-resistant –their bodies
can make insulin but cannot use it effectively, increasing their risk for type
2 diabetes.
·
More than half of women with PCOS develop type
2 diabetes by age 40 and are more likely to develop gestational diabetes which
puts the pregnancy and baby at risk and can lead to type 2 diabetes later in
life for both mother and child.
·
Polycystic
ovarian syndrome begins soon after the first menstrual period, as young as age
11 or 12 but can also develop in the 20s or 30s.
·
PCOS can also
cause other serious health problems in women such as high blood pressure, heart
disease, increase in bad (LDL) cholesterol, and sleep apnea, among other things.
Ghaziabad 27. 02. 2020: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the leading lifestyle
diseases in today’s women, right from teenagers, and has been held responsible
for infertility in women. However, doctors at Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad
warn
that PCOS is one of the leading causes
of diabetes during pregnancy that can affect the health of both mother and the
child.
“Women who have PCOS were
either overweight or obese by the time they reached their puberty. This makes
them substantially insulin-resistant; their bodies can make insulin but can’t
use it effectively, increasing their risk for type 2 diabetes. More than half
of women with PCOS develop type 2 diabetes by age 40 and are more likely to
develop gestational diabetes which puts the pregnancy and baby at risk and can
lead to type 2 diabetes later in life for both mother and child. Since the
number of PCOS cases in teenage has increased over the past 10 years, there is
an increase in pregnancies where the mother is diabetic – out of the
pregnancies we deliver here, about 15 per cent are diabetic and have a history
of PCOS in their teens,” says Dr. Ranjana
Becon, Consultant Gynecologist and Obstetrics, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ghaziabad.
Polycystic
ovarian syndrome begins soon after the first menstrual period, as young as age
11 or 12 but can also develop in the 20s or 30s. The major symptoms include irregular or no periods,
caused from lack of ovulation, higher than normal levels of male hormones that
may result in excess hair on the face and body, acne, or thinning scalp hair,
and multiple small cysts on the ovaries – having any two out of these defines
the condition as PCOS.
“The gestational diabetes
mellitus (GDM) is the most commonly described pregnancy complication in women
with PCOS. It can also cause other serious health problems in women such as
high blood pressure, heart disease, increase in bad (LDL) cholesterol, and
sleep apnea, among other things. Lifestyle has been identified as the
single-most effective causing factor for PCOS in women across ages, but
teenagers today are more vulnerable as they lead a life almost without any activity
and eating a lot of refined fat and carbohydrates. As a result, they gain
weight quickly and substantially which further affects their health. Women
whose mother or sister have PCOS or type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop
PCOS. Insulin resistance also runs in families and losing weight will help no
matter the reason behind the insulin resistance,” says Dr.
Becon.
