Busting Myths about PCOD
PCOD – Polycystic Ovarian Disease
We often hear women speaking of suffering from PCOD. The acronym sounds funky but the phenomenon is not.
PCOD is a condition in which a woman’s hormonal balance is disturbed. This condition is usually seen in women in the age group of 12-45 years.
Due to the imbalance, women experience an increase of the male hormone called testosterone in their bodies which leads to excessive facial and chest hair growth.
Other common symptoms include acne, irregular menstrual cycles, and difficulty in conceiving at a later stage.
What people don’t understand is the amount of anxiety and/or depression that assists the condition. The female body goes through even more frequent changes as compared to the usual. On top of that, having alterations every month with periods and difficulty to ovulate or rather conceive, poses a tremendous amount of stress on her mind.
With the above-mentioned issues, comes weight gain. Losing a few kilograms can be a task if one is suffering from PCOD because the hormones that might regulate the appetite are not in proper function.
Now you might wonder if PCOD is the same as PCOS?
To answer this – no, these two conditions though related to ovaries, are not the same. PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a disorder while the latter is a hormonal imbalance.
Irregularity of menstrual cycle, though common to both, PCOS deals with thinning of hair on the scalp while PCOD deals with the growth of unwanted hair. What’s similar between the two conditions is that both result in infertility and are caused due to hormones.
PCOD does not have any cure as of now. It doesn’t have a proper medical permanent cure, thus the only way to remain healthy is to exercise and a change in the routine.
You should be careful to not include red meat, dairy products, processed food, or sugar in your regular meals because the chances of you having diabetes are high. This is because bodies with PCOD are not resilient to insulin.
Medications might help in keeping control over the symptoms like birth pills can help in keeping track of periods and growth of hair or acne.
To detect this condition is not a big deal. Just a little pelvic exam or a blood test will help you know if you have PCOD. An ultrasound could also be used to identify the condition.
There are certain myths about PCOD like can the woman get pregnant, does hair grow everywhere (where it shouldn’t), if you have irregular cycles then definitely you have PCOD and many more?
To clear those myths right now, a woman doesn’t necessarily grow hair all over the body. Every individual is different thus places where hair might grow for one might not be the same for another.
As far as pregnancy is concerned, the condition doesn’t specify that the woman can never conceive. It just says that she might have slight difficulties when giving birth or when carrying the child.
Irregular periods don’t always mean a serious issue. You could miss your periods for a while lot of other reasons like stress and fatigue to name a few. Not all women have proper cycles.
Thus, to take care, just maintain a proper healthy routine with regular physical exercises. Take your pills on time and avoid the foods that raise the red flag
PCOD is not uncommon and not deadly, therefore there’s no need to panic.
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