Women: Do you know your ovaries? (not a great article...)
{Kat note...I'm not thrilled with this article. The writer, I believe, is a student. I think that editors of college publications should be very thorough in fact checking before publishing medical pieces. JMTC}
Women: Do you know your ovaries?
By Keeley Kristin
Many women have never even heard of it, but probably more than half of you are walking around with a syndrome that affects your hormone levels, physical appearance – even your chances of getting pregnant.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is often referred to as a health disorder where hundreds to thousands of cysts exist in a woman’s ovaries. Accompanying the cysts—which can be of multiple sizes, can be malignant or benign and can leak cystic fluid—is a distinctive pattern of symptoms reflecting hormonal imbalance. It’s this pattern of symptoms that make polycystic ovaries a “syndrome.” Therefore, it is possible and common for a woman to have polycystic ovaries but not the syndrome.
Confused? You might be wondering how these cysts develop, what symptoms you should be looking for and what can be done if you do, in fact, suffer from the syndrome. Not to worry, that is what I am here for.
Let’s start with the basics. In each menstrual cycle, follicles grow on the ovaries. Within those follicles, eggs develop – one of which will reach maturity faster than the others and be released into the fallopian tubes. Guys, this is called ovulation.
With polycystic ovaries, a series of undeveloped follicles appear in clumps (picture a bunch of grapes) because the ovaries are larger than normal. It is important to note that just because you have polycystic ovaries, doesn’t necessarily mean your fertility will be affected.
PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder occurring in women, especially during their reproductive years. It is estimated that more than 10 percent of women have the disorder, and considering most don’t know they have it, the number is probably significantly higher.
While there is no real “cause” of polycystic ovaries and PCOS, there are quite a few factors that come into play. They are genetic predisposition, insulin resistance or hyperinsulinism (high levels of insulin), obesity, chronic inflammation, organ/hormonal disorders (like abnormality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis), hyperandrogenism (excessive production of male hormones), obesity and food adulterantion (excitatory amino acids).
Symptoms of PCOS are endless and often baffling. In addition to the multiple hormonal imbalances (androgens, estrogens, insulin, etc.) and polycystic ovaries that are both 2 to 5 times larger than healthy ovaries and can contain multiple cysts, irregular or absent periods, acne, obesity and inability to lose weight, high blood pressure, thinning of scalp hair, diabetes, velvety and/or hyperpigmented skin folds and excessive body or facial hair are all signs of PCOS.
Infertility is also a symptom of the disease, one that recent LSU graduate Leigh Michaels discovered after she and her husband tried for months to get pregnant with no luck.
“I went off my pill and my body completely changed,” said Michaels. “I gained weight, my skin complexion worsened and my mood plummeted. I was told I shouldn’t have any trouble getting pregnant. After months with no luck, I went in for a blood test and discovered that my progesterone level, which should have been at least 1500, was only at 21. My doctor then discovered that I had PCOS. I remember being devastated.”
Michaels’ doctor made the decision to put her on hormone medicine, as well as fertility medicine, and after just one month, she found herself an expectant mother. Unaware of her pregnancy, she went in for an ovarian sonogram after having weeks of ovarian pain.
“I could see the cysts on my ovaries and some were leaking. I was terrified,” Michaels said.
Most ovarian cysts are harmless and are diagnosed through pelvic exams, pelvic ultrasounds or laparoscopy (telescopical surgery). The pain Michaels was experiencing was the harmless leaking of a cyst, in addition to her expanding uterus to accommodate the baby.
Some cysts can become cancerous, but this is rare. Nevertheless, sudden or severe pelvic pain, pregnant or not, should be enough to prompt you to get to the ER as quickly as possible.
PCOS is a disease that is treatable but not curable. The most common treatment is in the form of birth control pills. Depending on the array of symptoms (and the doctor), treatment may include anti-androgen medications and other hormone-regulating drugs. Also, because the syndrome has an insulin-resistance component, an anti-diabetic drug is often prescribed. Also recommended and encouraged in PCOS patients who are considered obese is weight loss.
In addition to conventional treatment, which can have undesirable side effects, one can improve diet and increase exercise. PCOS is not one single disease with one single cause. Therefore, you cannot treat it as such. You must treat “the whole person” rather than just “the disease.” If left untreated, PCOS can be a threat to a woman’s life through long-term consequences like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pregnancy-associated disorders, cancers and seizure disorders.
The best and safest thing a woman who even thinks she might be a sufferer of either polycystic ovaries or PCOS can do is to contact her gynecologist.
Well before i do my oral 20 min. presentation in my class, i'll be posting it up here for all to read and make sure i have the things that i need and information is correct.....
Kat let me ask you, did you feel like you were talked down to in this ? two how far off is she in this. because to me she sounds like she way out in left field on this.
It's people like her that cause people to get scared of this kind of thing.
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Women: Do you know your ovaries?
By Keeley Kristin
It’s this pattern of symptoms that make polycystic ovaries a “syndrome.” Therefore, it is possible and common for a woman to have polycystic ovaries but not the syndrome.
Confused?
This part made me laugh. I think she got confused confusing herself!
My rant of the day...
These type of articles drive me CRAZY. Because you just know- that my Mom, my Aunt, my Cousin, and Lord know's who else- is going to be calling me, and telling me about this great article they've just read. How they finally understand PCOS, how maybe I don't really suffer from this disease, it's not genetic, and maybe I just need to treat my "wholeself."
Bug
__________________ Progesterone saved my pregnancy- To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. what it can do for you!
Kat let me ask you, did you feel like you were talked down to in this ? two how far off is she in this. because to me she sounds like she way out in left field on this.
I didn't feel 'talked down to'. It's a college publication, so I think the 'tone' was designed to speak to her peers.
What gets me is the 'loose' journalism.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KatCarney
Women: Do you know your ovaries? The title implies that PCOS is about the 'ovaries'...it's not. It's an endocrine disorder.
Many women have never even heard of it, but probably more than half of you... Where is this stat from? "More than 50% of women have this syndrome?!?! If she got this from somewhere, there should be attribution. (ie While the actual number of women with PCOS is unclear, the Nation Institutes of Health estimates that x% of premenopausal women have the disorder.)
...are walking around with a syndrome that affects your hormone levels, physical appearance – even your chances of getting pregnant. This implies that PCOS definitely impacts a woman's changes of getting pregnant. While some women's fertility is impact - this isn't always the case. It doesn't always impact a woman's physical appearance, either. Better: ...walking around with a syndrome that could possibly affect everything from a woman's physical appearance to her chances of conceiving.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is often referred to as a health disorder where hundreds to thousands of cysts exist in a woman’s ovaries. THOUSANDS of cysts? THOUSANDS? I don't think so... Plus, her 'description' is NOT how the disorder is 'often REFERRED' to. Better: ...it is often CHARATERIZED by the appearence a multiple cysts on the ovaries. But not all women with PCOS will have polycystic ovaries. Conversely, not all women with polycystic ovaries will have the syndrome.
Accompanying the cysts—which can be of multiple sizes, can be malignant or benign and can leak cystic fluid—is a distinctive pattern of symptoms reflecting hormonal imbalance. It’s this pattern of symptoms that make polycystic ovaries a “syndrome.” Therefore, it is possible and common for a woman to have polycystic ovaries but not the syndrome. What pattern of symptoms did she describe?? Therefore??
...if you do, in fact, suffer from the syndrome. Not to worry, that is what I am here for. WHATEVER...she's a writer. Not a medical professional.
While there is no real “cause” of polycystic ovaries and PCOS... Umm, YES, there is a 'real cause'. She should have written, "While researchers have not yet IDENTIFIED THE CAUSE'...
...there are quite a few factors that come into play. They are genetic predisposition, insulin resistance or hyperinsulinism (high levels of insulin), obesity, chronic inflammation, organ/hormonal disorders (like abnormality of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis), hyperandrogenism (excessive production of male hormones), obesity and food adulterantion (excitatory amino acids). (continuing from above...) She should have said something like, "Research is concentrating on these areas as the root of the disorder."
PCOS is a disease that is treatable but not curable. PCOS is NOT a disesase. It's a syndrome.
Also, because the syndrome has an insulin-resistance component... Not always...
PCOS is not one single disease with one single cause. Earlier she said there 'is no real cause'
If left untreated, PCOS can be a threat to a woman’s life through long-term consequences like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pregnancy-associated disorders, cancers and seizure disorders. Untreated SEIZURE DISORDERS? I've never heard of this. As for the rest of the sentence, it should have appeared earlier in the article.
Simply awful. I'm not even going to get into structure...
This is primarily the fault of the editor. In a college situation, they should be TEACHING journalists how to write.
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I agree, that article is HORRIBLY written and it gives a lot of false information (SEIZURES?!?), but one thing in this article is true, at least for me. I have PCOS, but I never had cystic ovaries. I had polyps, but no cysts. So that IS possible, given that this is a syndrome. The rest of it is utter crap.
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Some of what i read i was blinking at supidly......lol.....
You know i don't have any formal college teachings.....but i will say this. I had highschool teachings, and you always site you research articals. Good heavens........lol.......Glad i at least have some people around here who can make sure i'm getting the right in for out there to other people.
Thank you Kat your a doll.....
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Some of what i read i was blinking at supidly......lol.....
You know i don't have any formal college teachings.....but i will say this. I had highschool teachings, and you always site you research articals. Good heavens........lol.......Glad i at least have some people around here who can make sure i'm getting the right in for out there to other people.
Thank you Kat your a doll.....
No prob...if you need any help with your proposal, let me know.
(BTW, I don't have a college degree, either...)
ETA
I don't get the impression that the writer neglected to do research. She got the information from 'somewhere.'
Her problem, in my opinion, is that she misinterpreted what she read, and in an attempt to be both 'light' and 'journalistic', she further muddied the meaning of what she was trying to communicate.
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well, i am the "journalist" who wrote your hated article, and i must say that i am let down with you bunch of "supporters of sisters with PCOS." for your information, i AM a college graduate and i did plenty of research on PCOS and i'll have you all know that all articles are edited heavily before going to print. i did get my information from medical sources and informational sources, such as http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/. and just so you know, sources were cited but DUE TO A CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE we just experienced here in louisiana, we had plenty of technical editing errors in our printing. i would never, ever, make up something "to scare people" ... and so you bunch of hypocrites know, I HAVE PCOS and have ever since i was 16 years old. my sister has PCOS as well - and is a part of this board, and i did not say the syndrome will affect one's chances at pregnancy ... i said it COULD affect one's chances, as it DID affect her chance at pregnancy and mine as well. and regarding the seizures, my point was IF LEFT UNTREATED, consequences can be detrimental and i got that from a source, not just my head. and another thing, not all people are as educated as you all seem to be, and when talking to students, it is imperative to relay the severity of such cases so people will take their health seriously. i did not claim to be a medical professional, nor did i claim to be an expert on PCOS. how about next time before criticizing, you EMAIL THE AUTHOR as the article suggested and get facts straight and learn about someone before you start dissing them on a web board? oh, and our copyeditor did the title, not me .... not much is out there about PCOS, and i've had plenty of people comment to me on how they are grateful that someone is at least trying. i know what it's like living with this ... and FYI, again, which you should already know, many MEDICAL JOURNALS classify the "syndrome" as a disease, and vice versa. and something else, i thought about posting and getting some quotes from some of you for the article, but now i'm glad i did not do so and instead chose to go to sufferers who cared about my efforts and cared to share their experiences. maybe since you guys seem to know all there is to know about PCOS, you should educate doctors and medical journals and so forth ... guess we the public have not a need for endocrinologists and gyn's when there are such heartfelt citizens as you guys out there. and before anyone goes here, i will tell you that i can take constructive criticism; it's destructive criticism i have not the elementary mentality for. you should have, as adults, had the decency to reach me before bashing me.
Wow, Well I'm stayin far away from that one! Because honestly I don't know if I have the time to reply to that post and most of what I want to write will be in *'s. I don't think any of these ladies were attacking by the way. But simply wondering where some of your mis information came from. Seeing how you have PCOS, I question why your doctors haven't explained this to you more in depth and with some clarity. That's all - -
Either way, Thank you Kat for keeping us updated and posting the article
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well, i am the "journalist" who wrote your hated article, and i must say that i am let down with you bunch of "supporters of sisters with PCOS."
As a cyster and a journalist, I give you an "A" for effort, but the final product was lacking, imo.
I stated earlier, that it was clear to me that you had done research, but based on my notes above, I have to question the loose writing that had no attribution. Attribution is just basic journalism. There are no excuses.
As the webmaster of this board, a woman with pcos, and a former medical reporter for one of the top news organizations in the world (bar none), I feel I'm not only well qualified to point out the short comings of your article, but I have an obligation to clear up [to the best of my ability] the faults of the piece for other women who may read it.
BTW, this won't be the first time something you write will be criticized - it goes with the territory of being a journalist. In addition to writing top notch pieces, you have an obligation to represent your news organization in YOUR RESPONSE to any criticism. Out of respect to your organization, any response you make to the public should be cleared by your editor, your organization's legal department, and your organizations's public relations department. No good, and respectful journalist should skip those steps, in an attempt to compose an appropriate response to criticism. (Somehow, I get the feeling that legal did NOT approve your post.)
Good luck to you, in your career. God bless you in your area's relief work following the hurricane.
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For being a journalist your grammar is terrible. Your post was hurting my head. I agree with the other cysters that you had some errors that should have been corrected. You need to suck it up and realize no one owes you anything. People are gonna crticize your work. If you cant handle it then you might want to consider another profession. That's just my 2 cents...
-Shawna
*dont you just love my own grammar and spelling errors. LMAO
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shawna,
i believe it is you who needs to suck it up and realize no one owes you anything. i expect nothing from anyone. and on another note, i apologize if my grammar is difficult for you. you must be the uneducated one in the grammar department, or maybe it is just that big words and long sentences confuse you. no need to get rude. and BTW, kat, i appreciate your post but let me clear something up .... this was a GENERAL article, and i never claimed to be an expert. all black and white with you guys and no grey, huh? as i said before, i had a very detailed and heavily cited article written, but that gets heavily edited before going to print and i have nothing to do with that. so what was lacking to you all might've actually been there with clear explanations, but my editor felt i was too detailed, which very much so explains "loose writing", and being that this was a general article for a college campus, the editor didn't want a medical journal. and i'm fine with criticism of the constructive kind ... but destructive criticism is what you guys offered and that leads to no improvement. perhaps had you all acted as adults instead of name-calling, finger-pointing children, i might've taken your suggestions into thought. also, i am not a journalist. not trained in journalism. i just write for this paper while i go to graduate school FOR CREATIVE WRITING - so i'm very used to criticism that is constructive. no need to respond, as i will not be back to your board.
is it me or does someone need to contact her editor? I'm not - Just a suggestion....Not trying to stir any pots
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Do you know anyone who lives in Canada, Australia, the UK who would want to be in on a ground floor opportunity? If so, please let me know who they are!
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Women: Do you know your ovaries? (not a great article...) 
