For so many years polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS has been a major cause for hardship for 1 in 10 women. It is a condition that is characterized by too much testosterone being released which causes excessive hair growth on the face, arms, fingers, toes, or backs of women.

 And, it causes acne, obesity, and infertility due to the fact that hormones are not balanced due to too much testosterone being released. 

What happens is that when an egg is about to mature, it does not release properly and ends up becoming a cyst in the ovary which can lead to irregular cycles or the failure to menstruate. 

PCOS has been a major cause of female infertility but has been usually corrected by dosages of Metformin which is a drug given to diabetics to control their blood sugar or Clomid. 

Women with PCOS also suffer from insulin resistance which increases their chances of developing type two diabetes. This also explains why many women with the condition are overweight as it also increases cortisol production.

What Is The Cause Of PCOS?

However, the good news is that the cause for the condition has been found by scientists back in 2018 at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. After studying pregnant women with PCOS, it was found that there is a higher amount of the anti-Müllerian hormone than there normally would be. 

This also meant that female fetuses exposed to this hormone in the womb would have a higher chance of developing the condition themselves. 

After doing further research, it has been found that the anti-Müllerian hormone is what releases too much testosterone which ends up creating a hormone imbalance. 

This only means that now scientists can find more innovative treatments for PCOS sufferers now that they have this information that can really treat them effectively. 

Additionally, this discovery has answered the question as to why women with PCOS have a much easier time getting pregnant when they are over 30. 

That is because the anti-Müllerian hormone starts to decline as they age, which means things are working much better as a result. Women with PCOS who are over 30 may find themselves having more regular cycles and fewer symptoms of PCOS as well in general. 

This means that if doctors can start changing their approach on how to effectively treat PCOS, then this can be extremely helpful to all women that are affected. 

Infertility Is Not The Only Damaging Cause Of PCOS

Even if they are not looking to get pregnant. PCOS is one thing that has been a self-esteem killer for so many women. 

Unfortunately, media glorifies thin women with clear skin, and with thick and healthy hair, without any other body hair in sight. And sufferers of PCOS, unfortunately, represent everything that goes against what media has glorified. 

That has also led to them being discriminated against. Not all women with PCOS have all of the symptoms of the condition that has been described above. Those who have a mild case of it may not suffer from obesity or have facial hair. 

And some women with the condition may not have significant issues with fertility. It all depends on how mild or severe the condition is. 

However, all women that have PCOS regardless of how they are affected will end up having their self-esteem harmed by it somehow. 

Even the women with the mildest cases of the condition will still exhibit some traits such as having thinning hair and acne even if they are fertile, don’t have facial hair or hair in other areas of the body where it should not be, and are at an acceptable weight. 

 

This will still hurt their self-esteem because many of the PCOS traits hurt their feminine sides and that really can be hurtful to them. 

Even more so if they are given poor treatment due to the fact that they are less than perfect. However, the good news is that there is more awareness about body positivity. That does not mean that women should not take care of themselves and to live a healthy lifestyle. 

It simply means that they should accept themselves for how they are while they are doing their best to treat themselves well. And this body positivity acceptance movement will only help women with PCOS feel better about themselves. 

However, even when a better treatment for the condition is found whether or not women with PCOS are looking to get pregnant, they still need to do what they can to take excellent care of themselves by adopting healthy eating as well as incorporating exercise into their routines.