PCOS

PCOS may be invisible
to others

But that doesn't mean
its invisible to You!

What is PCOS?

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition that affects up to 20% of women of reproductive age in Australia.

It affects the hormonal balance causing physical, emotional and biochemical changes within the body, making You not feel like You!

Woman with PCOS may experience irregular periods, lack of ovulation, elevated Androgen (a type of hormone), enlarged ovarian cysts or small follicles on their uterus. Elevated insulin levels may also be present.

Symptoms: What does PCOS feel like?

PCOS affects woman in different ways, some are visible, others invisible.

Just because it’s invisible to others, that doesn’t mean its invisible to You

Diagnosis: How does Dr Anjana know if I have PCOS?

Up to 70% of woman with PCOS are undiagnosed!

Dr Anjana takes a careful and extensive history to get a complete understanding of you, the changes you’ve experienced, your menstrual cycle and risk factors that often go unnoticed.

She takes the time to build a complete picture of you and like a detective pieces together the puzzle of your ill-health.

Follow up investigations may include ultrasound testing and a thorough blood work to confirm her suspicions of PCOS and rule out other differential diagnosis she may be considering.

Why does it happen?

The exact cause of PCOS is unknown. Genetics, hormones and lifestyle factors are believed to play a role.

How does Traditional medicine treat PCOS?

The conventional management of PCOS tends to be a pharmaceutical approach, followed by surgical intervention if necessary.

Pharmaceutical approaches may include:

Contraceptive pills – reduces androgens and control menstrual cycles
Diabetic medications – such as Metformin to lower insulin resistance
Ovulation inducing medications – help ovaries release eggs
Gonadotropins – reduces androgen and testosterone production

In those that do not respond to medications, laparoscopic surgery may also be considered to restore regular ovarian cycles.

What is Dr Anjana’s approach to PCOS?

Dr Anjana begins with extensive history taking to understand you, the visible and invisible parts of you.

This can involve discussions of family history, first menstruation, flow cycles, pain and body changes and details about your menstruation. Its amazing how insightful a timeline of ones experiences can paint the picture of PCOS when appropriately put together.

As a Functional medical doctor, Dr Anjana then organises further investigations from her integrative and traditional toolbox to understand the underlying disease processes. This may include tailored investigations such as:

Hormone blood testing
Functional hormonal testing
Pelvic Ultrasound
Microbiome mapping
Other tailored tests

From Dr Anjana’s functional approach, there is no silver bullet in the treatment of PCOS, but a multi layered approach tailored to you. This will be based on your values, pregnancy plans, intensity of symptoms and compliance with lifestyle changes. A tailored approach may include:

Hormonal balancing
Herbal tonics and supplementation
Weight management
Personalized diet recommendations
Insulin and blood sugar regulation
Emotional and stress management
Pharmaceutical drugs
Dietary changes
Lifestyle changes
Specialist review

Dr Anjana manages PCOS by providing you with options to nourish your system to help manage inflammation, modulate hormonal balances and restore insulin regulation. She has the ability to provide pharmaceutical prescriptions but will also discuss the pros and cons of natural, herbal or lifestyle approaches to address your PCOS.

Fertility: Can I have a baby?

Hormonal imbalances due to PCOS may cause difficulties in falling pregnant. From a traditional medical perspective, this is what often leads to primary investigations for PCOS in the first instance.

However, this doesn’t mean that natural conception is impossible, it may just require addressing the hormonal imbalances first. In PCOS this imbalance interferes with the growth and release of eggs from the ovaries, ie ovulation. Irregular or absent periods can signify a lack of ovulation, which is necessary for pregnancy. Untreated PCOS may also increase the chances of miscarriage.

Therefore, counter intuitively, the diagnosis of PCOS can be beneficial, as although it can make falling pregnant more difficult, knowing the diagnosis provides you the opportunity to better manage PCOS and improve fertility. Dr Anjana and her team can assist to support your body, nourish your uterus and improve ovulation which increases your chances of conception and falling pregnant.

Take hope, there are many mothers within our clinic who have successfully conceived despite PCOS.

Weight Gain: ‘PCOS belly’?

‘PCOS belly’ and weight gain is a common symptom of PCOS. It can appear different to other types of weight gain due to its focused abdominal visceral gain in comparison to weight gain throughout the rest of the body.

Elevated levels of insulin, high levels of androgen, or a combination of the two contribute to the weight gain. Insulin can promote fat gain in your midsection and also behave as an appetite stimulator.

This can be confronting for woman, as they may notice changes in their appearance and identity despite no alterations in their diet or exercise patterns.

Weight loss with PCOS can be difficult compared to other types of weight loss, as it is more associated with inflammation. Dr Anjana’s functional medical approach is to understand the underlying cause of the weight gain. She will discuss approaches to decreasing the inflammation in your body and modulate insulin and androgen levels in order to gradually rebalance your system and subsequently reverse the weight gain, rather than simply suggest diet and exercise.

Emotions: Why me?

There can be an emotional toll in experiencing PCOS. Many woman report feelings of anxiety, depression, reduced self-esteem and poor body image. In a world dominated by social media and comparisons, it can be difficult to separate the physical, emotional and biochemical changes we go through from the essence of our true self and identity.

Visible symptoms such as weight gain, excessive hair growth or acne can make us feel more self-conscious. However, its important to remember that PCOS is more common than we realise, and the hormonal changes that you experience can be rebalanced. This doesn’t need to define you.

Invisible symptoms such as mood swings, low libido, fatigue, anxiety, depression and emotional instability can be difficult to identify within ourselves, as woman often have a tendency to blame ourselves. However, through the PCOS journey, its important to realise that they are a result of PCOS hormonal changes, not necessarily a reflection of who we are as people.

Dr Anjana is very aware of the emotional impacts of PCOS, not just the visible but the invisible symptoms as well. Part of her approach will be to work with you to manage these emotional impacts, provide support for your nervous system, discuss alternative avenues to rebuild your identity and help you to restore and thrive once again.