WHAT? How can I have PCOS? I am thin!

Well my dear, that old idea that all PCOS [polycystic ovarian syndrome] girls are heavy with beards and moustaches does not hold true anymore!

But,doc, how can something look so different and be the same?

My answer...humankind! We look different, behave differently, think differently but feel the same so like human emotion, hormonal patterns are universal.

PCOS is a multi hormonal conundrum, there is nothing typical about it but its still supremely recognizable by clinicians.

Now that’s the important point, that it’s a clinical suspicion that carries weight in PCOS, only 30 % of scans may actually show it and hormones may not typically be in the range, but just like most things, if it looks like a horse and runs like a horse and whinnies, there is a good chance it is a horse!

Thus, lean PCOS, obese PCOS, adolescent PCOS, adult PCOS, they all look different, behave differently but that grain of suspicion followed by constant follow up is important.

Adolescent PCOS and lean PCOS are the most difficult to define as they have no obvious factors like weight, or pregnancy to worry them. Sometimes having regular periods may keep pcos under the radar for so long, that we catch them as infertility patients!

We are usually under the impression that irregular cycles, weight gain, mood swings are a part and parcel of adolescence, true, but to what degree?

PCOS and infertility are well known almost 40 % of PCOS patients need help conceiving, it is also  connected to early onset of diabetes, increased chances of endometrial cancers, and obesity related cardiac and cholesterol disorders.

The condition is common enough to have its own ribbon! ~like red ribbon for AIDS and pink for breast cancer, PCOS has a teal ribbon!

We need to understand that while conditions like PCOS don’t kill you but it will steal your joy in many ways!

Don't be a victim, read about the changes in your body, pay attention to the changes, and if your gynaecologist says she suspects PCOS trust her and get investigated, she is probably right!

Empower yourself and take control of your periods, your hormones, your weight and your life!