Treatment options for PCOS

By Dr. Shobha Gupta     

HT City: Treatment for infertility

PCOS – Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome as we all know is an incurable disorder in which woman’s levels of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone gets out of balance and most women do not know that they have it unless and until they go for a checkup. It mostly affects women of reproductive age from puberty to menopause i.e. 12-45 years old.     

PCOS leads to growth of ovarian cysts. To elaborate; in PCOS, the ovaries produce higher levels of androgen than normal, and this interferes with egg development and release. Some of the eggs develop into cysts which are little sacs filled with liquid and instead of being released during ovulation, these cysts build up in the ovaries and even get enlarged , hence the name poly cystic ovaries or Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome     

Every second patient, I treat in Delhi has PCOS. In PCOS patients there are sufficient number of eggs which helps in conceiving but PCOS patients do not have that capacity where their eggs develop itself for pregnancy. In a research by USA, few years ago it was found out that via laparoscopy or key-hole surgery the ovaries are punctured with a small needle carrying an electric current or using laser to voluntarily breech the ovarian capsule. This surgery can lower male hormone levels and help with ovulation. But it indeed needs lot of alertness by the doctors as there are various risks are associated with it like infections from the incision, bleeding from the incision, pain after the procedure etc.                                                         

But the biggest risk associated with the ovarian drilling surgery is that it could destroy too much of the ovary and causes your egg supply to diminish at a young age, sending you into early menopause.    

So, it is very important for women to know and get aware that they should not go for ovarian drilling in PCOS treatment especially if they have not been

a mother single time. Otherwise they would have need egg donor and could not become mother with their own eggs.     

Treatment for PCOS:     

1. Life style management and weight optimization- There have been numerous studies that have showed that lifestyle management alone -- ie, weight loss has been very effective in the managing the disease. A healthier lifestyle will also reduce their long-term risks for diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.     

2. Medicine for increased hair growth - If a woman is not trying to get pregnant there are some other medicines that may reduce hair growth. Other non-medical treatments such as electrolysis or laser hair removal are effective at getting rid of hair. A woman with PCOS can also take hormonal treatment to keep new hair from growing.     

3. Ovarian drilling is only advised for women whose fertility problems stem from PCOS. It is also only indicated for women with PCOS who have not had success with other fertility treatments.      

4. IVF treatment should be there first priority for infertility caused by PCOS.