Keep your hormones in check

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common occurrence among women today, especially the younger generation. Fitness expert Wanitha Ashok, who helps women facing this problem, says, “For women who suffer from the PCOS syndrome, it can result in problems with pregnancy. Their menstrual cycles are not regular and they put on weight.” Stress, is often said to be a cause for the illness. The syndrome causes overall change in the body structure and people put on weight, which becomes difficult to lose due to the reduced metabolic rate.

Gynaecologist Dr Kamini Rao explains, “PCOS can occur due to the lifestyle that is high on junk food and low on exercise. The biochemical changes in the body causes obesity. Due to time crunch, the younger generation now hardly exercises. Their job and laziness worsens the conditions. Because of the changes in hormones there is no ovulation and it becomes a vicious cycle. Sometimes it can be genetic too but that happens rarely.” Indications of PCOS, apart from the obvious weight gain, are increased blood pressure, irregular periods, and diabetes. In most cases women also develop a lot of hair.  The syndrome also hampers child bearing capabilities, so one needs to take care of it right from the start with healthy eating habits and exercising.

Diet, say experts, plays an important role in curbing PCOS. The right intake of food can not only increase the metabolic rate, but also go a along way in reducing weight. As nutritionist Sheela Krishnaswamy says, “The body’s metabolism slows down and therefore one’s weight increases. Most PCOS women are overweight. We put such women on a weight-reducing diet, but it’s rather slow because of various reasons. I would advise people to put in more effort in terms of physical activity.” Sheela however, feels that there is not enough proof that junk food causes PCOS. “It might be an indirect effect, but lifestyle and high level stress are key contributors,” she says, adding that  a minimum of sixty minutes workout daily, should be mandatory for PCOS women.

Another reason why so many women suffer from PCOS is because of their lack of knowledge and awareness about their body. Fitness and nutrition expert Rujuta Diwekar says, “Women today keep tab of market conditions, investments, careers, endangered species and so on. But when it comes to knowing about their body, they are at a loss.” Rujuta, who has discussed about PCOS  in her book, emphasises it is extremely important for people to understand the functions of their body. “Some women are not even aware of their period cycles and they have zero inclination to find out more about it,” she points out. The expert goes on to give an instance to explain her point, where a young girl was given contraceptives to regularise her periods.

“A gynaecologist put a young patient on contraceptives because her periods were irregular. Contraceptives release female hormones, which made her breasts grow and she developed stretch marks and so on,” she adds. To avoid such mishaps, experts caution that young women have to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes healthy food and a regular exercise regime. Women generally give up physical activities when they turn 12 or 13 years old, but that shouldn’t be the case. Physical activity should be a part of their daily routine, they emphatically add.