Patty's Chicken and Egg Theory #1 with PCOS.....

Pattyannruss · 04-22-2005, 11:30 AM

Chicken and egg theory #1 with PCOS.....

Stress of some sort(mental and/or physical) can cause your body to mutate cells. All this has hundreds of combinations of how and why's.(main reason hormone disorders rarely get DX in a timely manner-too many variations to pin point)

Ok, lets say for sake of lack of time...
You are having trouble in life(bad relationship,no relationship, money trouble, sick family member, trama, mental trama) That effects your stress hormones that protect the body from infection. When it is surpressed, you can actually have tissue damage from the "attack". When the tissue is affected, it sends out other hormones that try to fix the problem.

Now, how your body responds is also not the same for everyone.
Cells can change and when they do, they react differently than before.

Just one example...
Some people react with stress eating or not eating from stress.
So if you have underlying food addictions or disorders your body kicks into survival mode. Thus storing fat when in fact your body is over produsing it.

So for example you have a problem with sweets, your mind is craving more than before. Your mind thinks that the substance will make you feel better.
In a way it does. But not for long. Then you need to resupply. This is when your body starts going through chemical changes. Due to the changes in your "stress" hormones, your other hormones go into chain reaction. They all try to play catch up to the preceeding problem.

So for one part of those with PCOS they now are putting on weight because the hormones(dozens of them)are no longer working correctly.
So if you are gaining weight(just one factor), it effects your insulin(hormone) which in turn(among other things) effects(can for some) the reproductive chain. When the ovaries are directly affected you step into another chamber of possible issues and symptoms.

One example is you develop internal bleeding. Now this also comes in many forms as well. Surgery or trama of some sort(including child birth) can cause internal trama. Thus causing internal bleeding. Even the smallest of bleeds can cause major problems for some women. So another cause is cysts that burst. Some women are more suseptable to these than others. The cysts that burst can cause internal bleeding.

So once you have the bleeds, you can develope mild to severe infection. Some women can develop allergies, hives, skin problems, and as the body trys to heel it's self it causes scar tissue. In some cases that scar tissue can rebleed(like a scab) and after awhile you have more scaring. The cycle goes on and on.

Now, that bleeding can trigger a condition called endometreosis to form.
Endo is then effected by...you can guess...the hormone ESTROGEN. hummm...
Insulin is also an estrogen produser. So depending on the woman, the more estrogen the body pumps out(or fails to produce) is how the body reacts.

With endo, it can attached to any internal organ(or several).
80% of women will have it by the time they reach menapause. BUT, only 4% will have symptoms that can be tracked. Of that 4%, only 2% have major issues that makes them seek medical intervention.

For me, I had it on my rt tube and rt ovary. It was enough to effect the ovary which gave me the menapausal symptoms.(It was half desentigrated when they found it) That is why I had the pain but no cysts showed up on any ultra sounds. I didn't have the cysts until 2 yrs after being in severe pain and no cause could be found. It was a slow progression. When they finally went in(I dx myself and set up the talk with the surgen) I had extensive endo,ando and scar tissue that directly effected my bowels and bladder(just to start).

So remember menapausal symptoms come on when the ovaries are not working right.When that triggers a hormone imbalance, your other hormones go into hyper drive(or stop) But finding the problem and getting the correct treatment is a long and drawn out ordeal.

PCOS is only one factor in a sea of hormonal disorders. PCOS is not a cause, but the effect of a combination of other issues.So to treat PCOS, you need to know about the indevidual issues and their causes. Then find treatment.
Usually the reason diet change is so important.....it all starts at the cellular level.

Let me know if you have any questions.

**added to say...this is my opinion on reading material that I spent HOURS/DAYS sifting through**
I do have some links available if needed. or you can research key topics on the WEB.

Good luck with your search to better health!!

Patty

Japan · 04-22-2005, 03:15 PM

Patty, I can only second your thoughts. I didn't go as far as developing endo, but I am convinced my PCOS was brought on by major, majoremotional distress over ten years ago now. Getting pregnant a few years later (can you say hormonal changes) really kicked it into gear and here I am now.

You're right about finding the exact issues that cause the problems and then tackling them. That is what I am doing now, and I have not felt this great in years.

sunmoon · 04-25-2005, 11:21 PM

Great info, Patty!
I've had endo for 13 yrs. and my pcos symptoms began about 4 yrs. ago. I had a miscarriage 3 yrs ago. and another a yr. ago. I think the pcos has added stress immensly to me, as the weight gain and fatigue make me want to crawl into a hole. Now that I'm on met and doing south beach I feel a lot better, but am still so parrinoid when I'm bloated or tired. I question if the met. is really working. I may need a higher dose (I'm on 500 mg. once a day since march). I'm doing tons better, but that old creepy fear of the pcos consuming my body is there. How long does it take to know if the met. dose is working?? 3 months?? I think I get tested in June again.

Thanks so much for all of your insight and time on this.