For the past couple of years, doctors and researchers around the world have been working hard to try to identify and “solve” one of the most common but poorly understood and diagnosed conditions affecting millions of women today.
Have you ever heard of PCOS? Not many have yet. It’s short for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, and it might sound like some rare and far-away condition, but it’s not. PCOS is extremely common – some say the most common – condition among women, in the fertile age group (15-49) today. It is a hormonal (endocrine) and metabolic condition that presents with some of the most common “everyday” signs and symptoms that women experience:
• Irregular, missed (or absent) menstrual cycles
• Weight loss or weight gain (the kind that you feel you can’t control)
• Acne, pimples and oily skin
• Excess hair growth
• Difficulty falling pregnant
And, of course, there’s the invisible effects that go with it all. The fear of leaving the house when you just want to hide from the world. The anxiety of “will this ever go away?” The depression of “why me?” and “am I alone?”
Fortunately, we now know enough about PCOS to be able to do something about it.
