30 Interesting Facts About PCOS

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30 Interesting Facts About PCOS

Despite being one of the most common endocrine disorders, PCOS receives less than .1% of funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Worldwide, PCOS affects 6% to 10% of women, making it the most common endocrine disorder in women of childbearing age.
By age 40, 40% of women with PCOS will develop pre-diabetes or diabetes.
The diagnostic criteria for PCOS states that a woman has PCOS if she has at least 2 of the following 3 criteria: a. Irregular or absent periods, b. blood tests or physical signs that show high androgens, c. Polycystic ovaries
The United States spends an estimated $4 billion annually to identify and manage PCOS.
Women with PCOS are at a higher risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea due to the influence of androgens affecting sleep receptors in the brain
Women with PCOS can have monthly menstrual cycles and still have PCOS.
Despite its name, not all women with PCOS actually have cysts on their ovaries.
Eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are common among women with PCOS.
Women with PCOS have higher rates of anxiety and depression than women without the syndrome.
Both myo and d-chiro inositol and n-acetyl cysteine (NAC) have been shown to improve fertility and metabolic aspects of PCOS.
PCOS is the most common cause of ovulatory infertility.
Know your numbers: women with PCOS have a 70% prevalence of elevated triglycerides and low HDL (“good” cholesterol). Changes to diet and lifestyle can improve levels.
In PCOS, there is a rapid conversion from impaired glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes. For this reason, the Androgen Excess and PCOS Society recommends yearly blood screening.
Women with PCOS have more testosterone and can build muscle easier than women without the syndrome.
It is important if you are taking metformin or oral contraceptives to also take a B12 supplement as the drug can interfere with absorption of the vitamin. A lack of B12 can cause permanent and serious problems.
The follicles typically seen in PCOS are actually the result of a hormonal imbalance, not the cause of the syndrome.
One of the earliest signs of elevated androgens in adolescents with PCOS is acne.
Women with PCOS may have more difficulty breastfeeding and producing sufficient milk for their babies.
Inositol in a 40:1 ratio of Myo to DCI, can improve both metabolic and hormonal aspects of PCOS.
Eating protein and/or fat-containing foods every 3 to 5 hours throughout the day may help to stabilize blood sugar levels and prevent cravings in PCOS.
Regular exercise is an effective way to improve insulin levels in PCOS.
As women with PCOS get older ,they are likely to experience more regular menstrual cycles.
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in women with PCOS at middle age is 6.8 times higher than that of the general female population.
.Fatty liver affects 15% to 55% of women with PCOS and can be improved by diet changes.
The optimal treatment for PCOS is a multi-factorial approach involving diet and lifestyle modification, medications and supplements.
Women with PCOS have a higher incidence of gestational diabetes, miscarriages, preterm deliveries, and stillbirths.
It is estimated that 50-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance.
Vitamin D, a hormone and a vitamin, has been shown to play a role in insulin resistance and egg development.
Sleep disturbances have been found to be twice as common in women with PCOS compared with those without.