PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, now renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome or PMOS, is an endocrine-metabolic condition that affects many women worldwide.
Gynecologist explains why periods may begin before age 10 Women with PCOS gain weight.
(Picture credit: Shutterstock)Taking one step at a time to drive awareness, let's address one of the most frustrating worries many women with PCOS face: Does weight gain come first, or does PCOS?
Weight gain can be one of the factors that worsens PCOS, while PCOS itself can make weight loss difficult.
According to the doctor, many women are actually unaware that their bodies may be ‘operating differently’ because of the condition, which makes weight loss hard.
PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, now renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome or PMOS, is an endocrine-metabolic condition that affects many women worldwide. As per the World Health Organization, PCOS is estimated to affect around 8-13 % of women of reproductive age, while up to 70% of affected women remain undiagnosed. This shows that the condition is quite common, but there is a significant gap in awareness and diagnosis.
ALSO READ: Girls entering puberty earlier than before? Gynecologist explains why periods may begin before age 10 Women with PCOS gain weight. (Picture credit: Shutterstock)
Taking one step at a time to drive awareness, let's address one of the most frustrating worries many women with PCOS face: Does weight gain come first, or does PCOS? The distress comes from failing to understand the vicious cycle between the two. Weight gain can be one of the factors that worsens PCOS, while PCOS itself can make weight loss difficult. One wonders what the way forward is, because it seems like an impasse.
Answering this doubt, Dr Neha Shah, weight loss specialist and co-founder of TheGoodWeight.com, told HT Lifestyle in an interview that the answer to this common worry may actually lie in the recent landmark renaming of the condition.
Common problems seen in clinics To understand why the renaming was needed, it is important to look at the problem from the clinical point of view. Dr Shah shared a pattern she often observed among her patients. She said, "70 percent of my patients are females, and almost every day, at least one woman says some version of the same thing to me: 'I'm doing everything right. Why can't I lose weight?' She's usually been practising ‘eat less, move more as a solution to achieve optimal weight for years."
According to the doctor, many women are actually unaware that their bodies may be ‘operating differently’ because of the condition, which makes weight loss hard.
This is where the renaming of PCOS and PMOS becomes significant. The doctor clarified, asserting that the real damage was done by the older name, and it made the condition sound like it was limited to the ovaries and reproductive health, meanwhile the metabolic side of the disorder remained overlooked.
