This is a query that I face every day when I deal with women with PCOS. PCOS is an incompletely understood disease. Many of these women have excess body fat, leading to changes in hormone levels in the pituitary gland and ovaries and a lack of ovulation. But even some lean women may have it.
Every person with PCOS has some unique problem. For some, it may be irregular periods; for others, it may be hirsutism (excessive hair growth over the face or limbs) or infertility.
Treatment will aim to resume regular periods and ovulation, reduce hirsutism, and reduce the risk of metabolic diseases like diabetes. This can be achieved with weight loss, dietary modifications, combined oral contraceptive pills, anti-androgens, and LASER therapy. The aim is not to make the cysts in the ovary disappear.
Many women start having ovulation and regular periods when they lose weight, but hirsutism persists. For others, despite weight loss, periods may not resume. So, a combination of lifestyle measures and medicines will help people with PCOS. Furthermore, many benefits of weight loss may disappear when the person regains weight.
So, PCOS may not be curable, but it may be controlled.
Dr. Mathew John, MD, DM