September may be PCOS Awareness Month, but anyone living with polycystic ovary syndrome knows too well its impact on their lives all year round. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help manage it, including treatment for insulin resistance.
Our team at The Healthy Woman provides a full range of OB/GYN services, including care for chronic conditions like PCOS, at our locations in Snellville and Lawrenceville, Georgia. Here, we explain how insulin resistance can affect your condition and how we treat it.
Polycystic ovary syndrome typically occurs during a woman’s reproductive years and results in a hormonal imbalance that can cause symptoms such as irregular periods, abnormal hair growth, acne, and obesity. Some women have no symptoms and don’t realize they have the condition; they may discover it when they have difficulty conceiving.
Polycystic ovary syndrome affects anywhere from 6%-20% of women during their childbearing years, but the specific cause is unknown. Some suspected factors include genetics and obesity as well as low-grade inflammation. Insulin resistance often seems to play a role, too.
Created by the pancreas, insulin is a hormone that helps cells absorb sugar from the blood and use it for energy. If the body becomes resistant to insulin, the pancreas makes more to compensate.
These higher insulin levels can cause the ovaries to make too much of the male hormones known as androgens. It is these androgens that suppress ovulation and cause additional PCOS symptoms to occur.
It’s estimated that 35%-80% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance, which can lead to reproductive challenges as well as larger health implications like an increased risk for gestational diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and, eventually, cardiovascular disease.
Addressing this component of PCOS is key.
At The Healthy Woman, we tailor specific treatment protocols to the individual, their health situation, and their goals, such as possibly becoming pregnant.
Healthy lifestyle choices are one part of managing PCOS. Regular exercise and eating a balanced diet, especially one with low-glycemic carbohydrates, can help with insulin sensitivity. Losing weight if necessary is also helpful.
We may recommend one or more medications as well. Metformin helps the body use insulin better and can improve insulin sensitivity, while hormonal birth control can make menstrual cycles more regular, decrease androgen levels, and help with other symptoms like acne. We may prescribe additional medications to treat specific issues like excess hair growth.
Whether you have symptoms that make you suspect PCOS or you’ve already been diagnosed, we can help treat this condition while always keeping in mind today's concerns and tomorrow's long-term health implications.
The Healthy Woman can be an important partner on your road to better health. Call us at 770-809-1100 or request an appointment online today.
