Did you know that as many as one in five Australian women suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) every day? And despite celebrities, including Victoria Beckham, Daisy Ridley and Emma Thompson, having been very vocal about their experience with this hormonal disorder, it’s a condition that’s not talked about often enough.
Y’see, PCOS can be associated with irregular menstrual cycles, excess body and facial hair, acne, obesity, an increased risk of diabetes as well as a reduced fertility rate. In a nutshell, it’s as unpleasant and inconvenient as it is mentally and physically debilitating.
Mother-of-four Victoria Beckham has opened up about her PCOS in the past.
So, what if we told you there could be a way to cure it? Well, as uncovered in a research paper published in Nature Medicine, scientists believe they have discovered a link between hormonal imbalance in the womb and PCOS, specifically analysing the prenatal exposure to a growth factor known as anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH).
As reported by IFLS, researchers from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research discovered that levels of AMH were 30 per cent higher in pregnant women than those without.
Essentially, what this means is that these scientists were able to later determine what causes PCOS – and were able to reverse it.
And while the study was conducted on mice, these researchers are planning to trial their new IVF drug, cetrorelix, on humans soon.
Don’t know if you, or someone you know, has PCOS? This is what you need to know…
What’s polycystic ovarian syndrome?
According to Better Health Victoria, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) IS a hormonal condition that sees many partially formed follicles on the ovaries that contain one egg – and these rarely grow or produce eggs that can be fertilised.
What causes polycystic ovarian syndrome?
For some women, PCOS is hereditary, but can also come down to being overweight.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome symptoms
Note: you don’t need to have ALL of these symptoms at once to have PCOS…
An excess of body and/or facial hair
Sleep apnea
Scalp hairloss
Obesity
Acne
Irregular menstrual cycle
No periods at all (amenorrhoea)
Mood changes
To learn more about PCOS, book an appointment with a GP or gynaecologist now.
