Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal-influenced condition found In assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals causing irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth, acne, and infertility.
Do you want to know an interesting fact about PCOS? The very first documented case of PCOS travels almost a century back to 1935.
Two American gynecologists publicized a study on 7 women who showed symptoms of then termed “Stein-Leventhal Syndrome“. This term was later renamed to what you and we know today as “PCOS”.
A 2022 article in Nepal found that the mean age of PCOS was 23.23 yrs. This article’s core theme is identifying who Pcos affects the most.
What causes PCOS?
- Androgen Hormone:
- High levels of androgens in the female body act as an obstacle in releasing eggs leading to an irregular menstrual cycle.
- This absence of ovulation or irregular ovulation also leads to the development of small, fluid-filled sacs.
- The problem of excess hair growth and acne in women is also led by this very hormone called androgen.
- Insulin resistance:
- Females with insulin resistance mechanisms store increased insulins, causing ovaries to make and release androgens.
- This androgen production suppresses ovulation and gives rise to additional symptoms of PCOS
- Low-grade inflammation:
- Low-grade inflammation levels in the body are reasons for PCOS. This is a common symptom found in patients with PCOS.
Who Does PCOS Affect The Most?
PCOS can be triggered or caused by various reasons and these reasons are common globally. However, whom does PCOS affect the most is a deeper research. Here is a breakdown:
1. Women with a family history of PCOS:
- Genes are very strong forces that determine various aspects of offspring. If a woman has a close relative such as a mother or sister suffering from PCOS, there is a larger chance she develops the condition too.
2. Women with Insulin Resistance to Type 2 Diabetes:
- Insulin resistance is a strong cause of PCOS, the condition that follows when a body isn’t able to use the insulin is called diabetes. Females with a history of type 2 diabetes are at prolonged risk of contracting PCOS.
3. Obese Women:
- Overweight women, with higher than normal BMI are likely to experience not just normal PCOS symptoms but severe ones, altogether!
- The Journal of Physiological Society of Nepal published that Only 29.41% of PCOS participants in one of their surveys crossed the borderline of normal BMI towards obesity. The remaining 70.59% percent of PCOS participants were obese.
4. Ethnic correlation:
- Research backed up that PCOS may potentially be more prominent in some types of ethnic groups such as South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Hispanic women.
- Since Nepalese women fall into the South Asian category, females tend to have higher rates of insulin resistance multiplying the peril to PCOS
What Does Other Studies Mention about PCOS?
A paper published by Clinicone highlights how identically Nepal’s condition of PCOS imitates that of the global one.
In 2018, a study was done in Nepal where 381 random female medical students were observed to see how many had PCOS. The results concluded that 35 students have the syndrome.
This qualified as 9.18% of the total sample collected. This number is highly similar to around 10% of the global average.
Also, yet another obtained between 2007 and 2017 claimed that there has been a steady rise of 1.45% in the rates of PCOS in women. Unhealthy lifestyle maintenance women in this scenario can also be tagged as the ones highly prone to PCOS.
