Does Pcos Put You At Risk For Diabetes?

PCOS – a common disease

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has become a common disease today in India as well as all over the world. Evidence through research says that about ten percent of the total female population is prone to suffer from PCOS.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome disturbs the endocrine system with the domination of male hormones. It results in symptoms like irregular menses, unusual hair growth on the face, hairfall, acne, weight gain as well as cysts in the ovaries on a sonography. Though the exact cause of PCOS is not yet known; it is believed that diabetes puts a risk factor to PCOS.

Evidence links Diabetes to PCOS

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder. In insulin resistant diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin or it becomes resistant. PCOS is also a metabolic disorder. Many women who are diagnosed with PCOS when investigated for routine blood sugar become evident as being pre diabetic. Pre diabetic means they are at a risk of being diabetic in future but at present cannot be labeled as being diabetic. They do not have very high blood sugar levels to be labeled as diabetic.

A research carried out at the Monash University gives enough evidence about the link between PCOS and diabetes. Out of 6000 women aged between 25 to 28 years, 500 of them were diagnosed as having PCOS. They were then followed for a period of nine years. Researchers further found that these 500 women were at risk of having diabetes. The surprising part was that no one of them had any other risk factor for diabetes. This proves that PCOS can be considered as a risk factor for diabetes.

Insulin Deficiency – the weak link

Females with PCOS have poorly functioning B cells in the pancreas. This further leads to insulin deficiency making one prone to have type II diabetes. The inflammation increases even more after having food due to rise in the blood glucose level. This inflammation also hinders the ability to produce insulin which leads to insulin resistance and an early stage of type II diabetes.

Adding fuel to the fire – Obesity

Obesity can be a triggering and maintaining cause for both PCOS and diabetes. Females suffering from PCOS are generally obese. Obesity is further linked to diabetes. Insulin is a growth hormone which is directly linked to diabetes. Many women suffering from PCOS are obese and start developing insulin resistance which in turn makes them prone to cause diabetes. A research says that “the more a person gains weight, the more he is prone to have diabetes”. More the insulin, more the fat production and storage. Continuous fat production may disrupt the normal ovarian function.

What can be done

However, weight loss can restore the normal ovarian function. A regular exercise with consistency, proper pcos treatment and meditation in order to allay stress can help you get your PCOS under control and further prevent you being at risk of diabetes. Stress is also one of the important risk factors for diabetes.

In order to conclude I can say that PCOS does put you at risk for diabetes. Be aware, stay careful but do not panic. So, all the young females with PCOS out there, it’s time to check your sugars & do all you can to prevent the onset of diabetes!

Among all the other PCOS treatment modalities, hundreds of young women have found significant relief with homeopathy. To know more about how Dr Rajesh Shah’s research based homoeopathic PCOS treatment can help you and prevent you from developing PCOS complications, do write back to us. You can leave your message in the form below or call us at +91-22-66888888. You can also drop in an email with all your previous reports at info@lifeforce.in.