PCOS Risks
Women having Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome while pregnant do have a higher risk of miscarriage, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure and premature babies. Doctors have been studying having pregnant women take metformin to reduce these risks. Since metformin can be passed through the placenta, doctors are concerned about the effects on the unborn child. Research has not determined if this is a safe practice yet.
Unfortunately having PCOS does increase the risk of getting several other diseases. The risk of endometrial cancer and hyperplasia are increased. This is due to the lack of menstrual cycles. Since the lining of the uterus is not getting shed monthly, it becomes thick. Eventually, later in life this can cause endometrial cancer or hyperplasia.
The risks of diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease are also increased. Losing weight will not cure PCOS but will decrease the risk of those conditions and may even cure some such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Shedding weight with PCOS is harder than for a woman without this syndrome.
Insulin resistance has been linked to PCOS. High levels of insulin also cause more testosterone to be produced which in turn makes the PCOS symptoms worse. This also can lead to type 2 diabetes forming.
Increased testosterone also causes high levels of fat in the blood. A lipid profile blood test will show the HDL, good cholesterol, and LDL, bad cholesterol, levels in the blood. Women with PCOS will show low HDL levels and high LDL levels. This cholesterol imbalance will lead to heart disease which is the number one killer of women. Obesity, which goes along with PCOS, will also increase this risk of heart disease.
Infertility or lessened fertility is a risk and symptom of PCOS. Shedding weight may induce ovulation or fertility treatments and medicine can be used. Even though the change of pregnancy is reduced for women with PCOS, it should not be assumed that you are infertile. Continue with birth control if you do want to become pregnant.
Women with PCOS seem to have an abnormally high risk for sleep apnea. Doctors are researching if PCOS causes the sleep apnea, or if other factors contribute to sleep apnea which in turn contributes to developing PCOS. Doctors are also researching if controlling PCOS symptoms will lessen the severity of sleep apnea.
Many newer treatments for PCOS are looking at not controlling symptoms, but at fixing the underlying cause which is insulin resistance. This in turn is lessening the risk and curing some of the related diseases mentioned above.