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Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that can impact multiple aspects of your health and wellness, but your reproductive health is certainly affected the most.
Even though PCOS is fairly common, figuring out how to navigate your treatment plan and manage it daily can feel overwhelming. And our team of gynecologists at the Center for Women’s Health in Sugar Land and Richmond, Texas, certainly understands how difficult it can be to live with the effects of PCOS.
So, in this month’s blog, we discuss some practical ways to navigate PCOS and how we can help partner with you for effective symptom management.
Understanding PCOS
PCOS is a condition that leads to an imbalance in reproductive hormones, affecting your ovaries as a result. The harm to your ovaries can cause your eggs to either develop improperly or never release during ovulation.
When you have PCOS, you may experience irregular menstrual cycles or develop ovarian cysts, both of which can impact fertility. In fact, PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women.
PCOS can cause other hormone-related symptoms, such as acne, excessive body hair growth, and weight gain due to insulin resistance. However, many women don’t realize that they have this condition until they have difficulties getting pregnant.
How to manage your PCOS
PCOS is a leading cause of infertility, not only because of how it impacts your reproductive health, but also how it affects other areas of your physical health as well. Thankfully, infertility due to PCOS is very treatable through various methods.
Let’s look at a few ways you can manage your whole health and wellness for improved fertility and reduced symptom severity:
Tracking your cycles
Since PCOS leads to such irregular menstrual cycles and ovulation, tracking your cycles with a journal or app on your phone is crucial. Being able to better understand and notice fertile windows can help with fertility and family planning.
Taking birth control or other hormone replacements can help balance out your hormones and better regulate ovulation and your menstrual cycles, which should improve your chances of conceiving when you’re ready for that step.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
Having PCOS raises your risk for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol. While issues with hormone imbalances can make it tricky to lose weight and keep it off, finding ways to live a healthy lifestyle is crucial for your reproductive health and overall well-being.
Healthy habits that can encourage staying at an optimal weight include eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, drinking plenty of hydrating fluids, and getting enough high-quality sleep.
Prioritizing your physical health can also lower your risk for mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, which PCOS can often lead to.
Seeing our team regularly
Managing your health in this way can feel overwhelming to do on your own. But our Center for Women’s Health team is here to help. We can customize a treatment plan that includes management strategies that work best for you, including nutritional meal plans, exercise routines, weight loss plans, and hormone treatments.
Checking back in with our team regularly can help us determine what’s working and what isn’t, allowing us to make any adjustments when needed.
You don’t have to navigate PCOS alone. Schedule an appointment with our gynecology team by calling your nearest office location or using our online booking feature today.