Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal disorder that can be found in 1 out of every 10 women in the world. This problem is so common that even the Bollywood fashionista, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja was also once diagnosed with PCOS and so was Sara Ali Khan, the list goes on. The early signs of symptoms, such as infrequent or prolonged menstrual periods, acne, thinning of hair and gaining weight can sometimes be so not prominent for the person to actually realise. But, once diagnosed with PCOS, you might want to learn as much as possible about them. Recent research has found that there exists a lot of confusion over PCOS. In fact, limited evidence combined with a large amount of false information about this hormonal condition has led to common misconceptions. These myths and assumptions are not only harmful to patients but equally standing in the way of practitioners.
Down below are some of the common myths and assumptions that tend to feed misinformation to the public. We have busted each of them for you. Read on:
A single symptom can indicate PCOS: PCOS is a syndrome or a group of symptoms. One single sign can clearly not indicate if a person is suffering from PCOS. A new study raised alarming concerns about the misdiagnosis of PCOS. They claim seeing many women who had been incorrectly diagnosed based on single symptoms, such as irregular cycles alone or an ultrasound of polycystic ovaries. In fact, Symptoms or signs are also on a spectrum of severity. For instance, acne, facial and body hair in women differs from person to person.
Women suffering from PCOS don’t need contraceptive: PCOS might cause trouble for women to ovulate when they actually want to conceive. However, many women with PCOS have seen conceiving naturally without any medical help. There is no difference between the size of the family of women with and without PCOS. Women suffering from PCOS tend to believe they won’t be able to conceive. This leads to mental distress and even unintended pregnancy due to societal pressure. In anyways, contraception is needed for women if they don’t want to get pregnant, and PCOS patient is no different.
Women with PCOS are at risk of ‘metabolic complications’: Women diagnosed only due to irregular menstrual cycles and polycystic ovaries don’t have the same metabolic risk as women with androgen excess. Another assumption states, women with PCOS are more likely to get heart diseases. There’s not much evidence to prove this correct.
PCOS causes weight gain or prevents weight loss: Although an increase in weight is one of the signs for PCOS, there’s no clear link between PCOS and weight gain. It has been found that with proper weight management interventions, women with or without PCOS lose the same amount of weight.
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