September is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month. A pathology still unknown to many women. With the aim of helping to raise awareness of this syndrome, helping women to get to know it and be alert, at IVI we have edited a PCOS guide that includes all the necessary information. But also a normalization campaign on social networks, with the hashtag #SOPnoesSTOP. With him we invite you to share your testimonies. Because PCOS could not and will not stop your path to motherhood.
PCOS, a still unknown pathology
This syndrome mainly affects women of childbearing age, approximately 8-13% of them. Although we are getting more and more known, the reality is that it is still lacking. In the first place, because its diagnosis generates doubts.
“We are aware of the lack of knowledge about this disorder, so this guide was born to inform in detail about PCOS and to be able to act from the medical and emotional point of view. Knowing the implications that this syndrome can have in the lives of women who suffer from it is the first step to face it calmly”, explains Dr. José Serna, director of IVI Zaragoza.
In addition, the aforementioned lack of knowledge of the pathology has led to different qualities being attributed to PCOS, which must be clarified or refuted.
Myth or Reality?
As we said, a lot of information about the SOP is still necessary. The ignorance of the pathology has led to the false belief of some aspects that are not true. These that we mention, along with many others, we take care of denying or confirming them in our guide.
Are PCOS tumors in the ovaries? NO. The name Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome dates back 100 years and is due to the appearance of ovaries with multiple follicles, larger than usual. But they are not cysts and even less tumors.
Is the origin of the pathology in the ovaries? NO. PCOS is a metabolic disease, but it also affects the ovaries. As we have said, through the lack of ovulation, which causes infertility. PCOS is caused by an alteration in metabolism, with a key role in excess insulin production.
Does PCOS cause infertility? NO. Although it is true that the PCOS patient may require more time to achieve it, due to the fact that she does not ovulate, when she does, she will be able to achieve pregnancy. In addition, if it is put in the hands of reproductive medicine, through a low-complexity treatment, the waiting time can be shortened.
Does PCOS have treatment? It is true that there is no single treatment that eradicates the symptoms of PCOS. But there are certain things that patients can do to mitigate them. For example, in obese women a weight loss is of great help. In addition, there are individual treatments that individually attack some of the symptoms.
“The best way to help combat PCOS is a healthy lifestyle, incorporating a healthy diet, physical exercise and behavioral strategies. These measures translate into an improvement in reproductive results, in the levels of metabolic markers, on psychological status and quality of life”concludes Dr. Serna.
IVI Guide to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
PCOS is a pathology that deserves that those who suffer from it have enough information about it. With this, the pathology can be approached from the medical and emotional fields. For this reason, as we said at the beginning, at IVI we have created a guide with all the relevant information on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It also includes testimonies of women diagnosed with this pathology, such as Laura, Mercedes or Esther.
We put a voice in the SOP Guide
Esther was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 17, along with the affirmation that she would have no problem being a mother. But the reality of her, years later, was that after several natural attempts she did not succeed; neither is she on Social Security. It was then that she entrusted her motherhood to IVI. “The waiting lists for Social Security were endless and I was very aware that age was beginning to play against me (36 years old at the time), Esther tells. In fact, her experience at IVI was so positive that she has repeated it and she is already a mother of 2 babies.
For her part, Laura leaves us a message of encouragement for other PCOS patients in the same situation: “My first reaction to PCOS was indifference. I was very young and I was not really aware of what it implied. The only information I received was that my missed periods were due to this disorder and nothing else. I want to encourage all women who live with PCOS and are clear that they want to be mothers not to delay it. Look for good professional advice to accompany you throughout the process and, above all, do not be discouraged! Every effort will be worth it.”.
But we cannot forget the emotional part of PCOS. In this sense, the testimony of Mercedes is fundamental. She was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 20-22 and since then her social life has been conditioned. Interacting with people, making plans or traveling were never the same again. Everything was conditioned by the irregularities in her menstruation and by the physical and logistical implications of this symptom.
