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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) - What Happens
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a group of health problems linked to a woman's out-of-balance hormones. Common symptoms of PCOS include irregular periods, infertility, repeat miscarriages, male-pattern hair loss, male-type facial and body hair, acne, and obesity. PCOS raises your risks for serious health problems, including high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, diabetes, and uterine (endometrial) cancer.
Reproductive problems
Hormone imbalances linked to PCOS cause several types of pregnancy problems and related problems, including:
- Infertility. This happens when the ovaries are not releasing an egg every month.
- Repeat miscarriages. The cause for this is not known. These miscarriages may be linked to high insulin levels, delayed ovulation, or other problems such as the quality of the egg or how the egg attaches to the uterus.
- Gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This risk is greater in women with PCOS than in women who ovulate regularly.
- Increased blood pressure during pregnancy or delivery, having a larger than normal or smaller than normal baby, or having a premature baby.
- Precancer of the uterine lining (endometrial hyperplasia). This can happen when you don't have regular menstrual cycles, which normally build up and "clear off" the uterine lining every month. You can take birth control pills or other hormone medicines to reduce the risk of endometrial hyperplasia.
- Uterine (endometrial) cancer. Risk during the reproductive years is 3 times greater in women with PCOS than in women who ovulate monthly.7
You may have more regular menstrual cycles as you near menopause. The reason for this is not known. But your history of PCOS may still increase your long-term risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, diabetes, or endometrial cancer.
Problems with insulin and sugar metabolism
Insulin is a hormone that helps your body's cells get the sugar they need for energy. Sometimes these cells do not fully respond to the action of insulin. This is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can lead to an increase in blood sugar and diabetes.
Up to 40% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance, and up to 10% get type 2 diabetes by the time they reach age 40.3 Insulin levels also rise in people with insulin resistance. High insulin levels can increase the production of male hormones and make your PCOS worse.
Serious health problems linked to insulin resistance include:
- High blood pressure.
- High triglycerides.
- Low HDL ("good") cholesterol.
- High blood sugar.
- Excess body fat (particularly abdominal obesity).
Heart and blood circulation problems
It is possible that high insulin from PCOS makes heart and blood vessel problems worse.3 These problems include:
- Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
- Coronary artery disease and heart attack. Some studies have shown that heart attack risk may be increased by as much as 7 times in women with PCOS compared with women who don't have PCOS.8
- High blood pressure.
- High cholesterol.
- Stroke.
Breathing/sleep problems
Women with PCOS have a higher risk of breathing problems while sleeping (obstructive sleep apnea). This is linked to both obesity and insulin resistance.3
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Topics
ENABLEX is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder:
- · having a strong need to go to the bathroom right away (also called "urgency")
- · leaks or wetting accidents (also called "urinary incontinence")
- · having to go to the bathroom too often (also called "urinary frequency")
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
You should not take once-daily ENABLEX if you have certain types of stomach problems, glaucoma, or have trouble emptying your bladder. Side effects of ENBLEX include blurred vision, and more commonly dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Use caution when doing certain activities until you know how ENBALEX affects you.
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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