PCOS Myths: 7 Most Common Facts Related to PCOS Every Women Should Stop Believing

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is one of the most frequent hormonal issues among women nowadays. According to Dr. Vaishali Joshi, senior obstetrician and gynecologists at Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, at least three out of ten women are diagnosed with it, and six out of ten diagnosed women are teenagers. PCOS is a lifestyle syndrome which involves problems like irregular periods, scanty menstrual flow, acne, excess body hair, weight gain, and skin darkening, and hormonal imbalance, including high insulin resistance and excess male hormones. Because certain symptoms are similar, many young women are mistakenly diagnosed with PCOD instead of PCOS. As a result, there are many myths about PCOS.Also Read – Smoking in PCOS: How Badly it Can Affect Your Health?

7 Facts about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome That Women Should Stop Believing:

Myth 1: All women with PCOS also have PCOD

According to Dr Joshi, Polycystic ovaries are prevalent in 20% of healthy women. On the other hand, not every woman with PCOS has PCOD ovaries on sonography. Also Read – Struggling With Weight And PCOS? Expert Shares 5 Helpful Tips For Weight Loss

Myth 2: PCOD ovaries cause abdominal pain

PCOD ovaries are little water bubbles (cysts) that are grouped in a pearl necklace pattern around the ovary’s periphery. They do not cause any discomfort or agony. The ovarian cysts that cause pain are at least three centimeters in diameter and are not detected in PCOD. Also Read – 5 Helpful Tips For Losing Weight With PCOS

Myth 3: PCOS only affects overweight women

Weight gain is typical in women who have developed PCOS as a result of a poor lifestyle. Nearly 80% to 85% of PCOS women are overweight. PCOS, on the other hand, can strike women of normal weight, especially those with a family history of the condition.

Myth 4: Acne are always due to PCOS

Acne or pimples on the face can be caused by a variety of factors. One of these is PCOS. The most common causes are skin issues, allergies, or dandruff.

Myth 5: Medicines can cure PCOS

Drugs are typically used to treat the symptoms of PCOS, depending on the treatment required, such as infertility or period regularization. These treatments don’t address the underlying problem, thus they’re not considered curative. PCOS is a lifestyle illness that can be managed via regular exercise, dietary changes, and weight loss.

Myth 6: Losing weight can completely cure PCOS

Unfortunately, PCOS is a life-long disease. By reducing hyperinsulinemia and extra male hormones, a weight decrease of at least 10% will relieve symptoms. It is necessary to sustain weight loss while continuing to follow a healthy lifestyle.

Myth 7: PCOS makes it harder for women to conceive

PCOS makes it harder for women to conceive because it causes anovulation, which prevents the production of one egg every month but does not entirely prohibit it. PCOS causes irregular and delayed ovulation in women, yet they can still conceive naturally, says Dr Joshi.