5 things that happen when you ignore PCOS symptoms for long

Hormones play a critical role in a woman’s life. Whether it’s puberty or pregnancy, there are certain changes that happen in the body. When several hormones, namely estrogen, progesterone, and androgen start affecting the ovaries, then it can lead to PCOS or polycystic ovarian disease.

If you look at the causes of PCOS, then you notice that our lifestyles have a lot to do with its incidence. But the root cause for PCOS are the fluctuations seen in the levels of a hormone called androgen. Although, women’s ovaries produce a little quantity of this male hormone, but when the production of androgen increases more than usual, it impacts the menstrual cycle in young girls. This problem can start as early as 12 and can last till 40, or even until menopause.

These are some of the most common symptoms of PCOS: 

• Irregular periods
• Hair growth, especially on the face
• Acne
• Weight gain
• Skin darkening
• Headache
• Heavy bleeding

These are some early symptoms, and the sad part is that most of us leave them unattended due to lack of awareness.

But this lack of awareness can lead to these five bigger problems, if PCOS symptoms are ignored for really long time

1. Cancer

Dr Sudeshna Ray, consultant obstetrics and gynaecology at Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai informs that if irregular periods remain unchecked for years, and it goes down to just two or three menstrual cycle in an year, then there might be a risk of developing a cancer in the lining of the uterus. Unfortunately, this cancer can be caused at a really young age, even in early or late 30s.

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2. Infertility

“If a woman is having a hard time having a baby, and if everything is fine with her husband, then it can also mean that she has ignored her PCOS, and now it has affected her reproductive cycle,” says Dr Ray.

3. Miscarriage

Even if some women are able to conceive a baby, it has been seen that they suffer from a miscarriage in the later stages, as their uterus is not in a condition to bear a child safely.

4. Diabetes

“It has been seen that women with PCOS develop insulin issues, due to the malfunction of the organs, and the disruption of hormones. This leads to diabetes. The insulin fluctuation is one of the major causes of skin darkening,” warns Dr Ray.

5. Metabolic syndrome

This is not an isolated issue, because metabolic syndrome is a group of problems that can happen to someone, who is dealing with PCOS. All these problems happen due to the disruption of the metabolism in the body.

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Here all what you can get:

• Obesity: Of course, if the metabolism rate of your body drops drastically, then weight gain will be witnessed. This is because what you are consuming is not being processed by the organs properly.
• High cholesterol: When metabolism goes down, then processing of fat will also be affected, and this fat will keep on accumulating in the veins of the person.
• Blood pressure: When your veins are clogged with fat, then it will become harder for the blood to circulate. This can even lead to stroke or cardiac arrest. 
• Sleep apnea: “When all these problems hit you, it takes away your mental peace. Plus it also makes you restless which has an impact on your sleeping patterns. Hence, sleep apnea,” suggests Dr Ray.

So ladies, please be vigilant about the early signs of PCOS, and report to your doctor immediately, if you find something unusual.