The Gynae Geek

PCOS does increase the risk of endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus),20 the greatest risk being to women who are less physically active, regardless of obesity or diabetes.21 So anything you can do to increase the amount of movement you do may reduce your risk, irrespective of whether you actually lose weight,22 which is another reason why I prefer to steer away from concentrating on weight loss as a specific goal.

I had a scan that shows I have polycystic ovaries – what are the implications of this?

‘Polycystic’ means having lots of cysts. With regards to your ovaries, this means you have loads of follicles that are trying to mature and break free. Up to 25 per cent of women have ovaries with a polycystic appearance,23 and it’s particularly common in younger girls who have started their periods in the last few years because their ovaries are literally bursting with eggs wanting to get out. However, it doesn’t automatically mean you have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), if you don’t have any of the other classic symptoms (see here).

THE GYNAE GEEK’S KNOWLEDGE BOMBS

Irregular or absent periods cause so much anxiety, so I hope this chapter will have put your mind at ease, giving you a few areas of your life to re-evaluate if this is a particular problem for you. The most important takeaways here are:

 Lazy ovaries do not exist. If you stop having periods it’s because your ovaries aren’t receiving the right messages from the brain, or other hormones are influencing their activity.

 Premature menopause is very rare and unlikely to be the cause of irregular or absent periods, but it is very easy to check for with a simple blood test.

 Your body is very clever and is able to stop your periods if you are stressed, overexercising or not eating well, as a survival tactic to conserve energy for things that are more important than making hormones.

 The contraceptive Pill will not cure PCOS. It will merely cause you to have a period every month, but when you stop the Pill, if you haven’t made any lifestyle changes, your body will resume the same cycle as before you started it.

 Lifestyle changes including diet, exercise and stress management can have a massive positive impact on PCOS. They also reduce your risk of complications such as diabetes, heart disease and female cancers.

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