Updated : December 20, 2022 10:30 AM IST
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has always been taken as a reproductive disorder in women in which the ovaries might be producing an abnormal amount of androgens. These androgens are male sex hormones that are present in very small amounts in a woman’s body. The condition is also characterized by fluid-filled sacs or cysts that are present in the ovary. Treatment was more or less focused on the reversal of reproductive symptoms like irregular or no periods.
With evolving research, experts have observed both ovarian-related and ovarian-independent symptoms playing a role in the condition. According to experts, there is still a lack of clarity on what are the primary causes and what might be the secondary consequences of the condition. Whether a reproductive symptom is the root cause or just a secondary symptom of a much larger condition.
With PCOS slowly emerging as a cardiometabolic disorder just than a reproductive ailment, the treatments have also diversified for the same. According to experts, the treatment options for the condition are limited to the management of the disease than curing it. The causes of it are still under the clouds. From contraceptives to tablets reducing insulin resistance, there is no single treatment plan for the condition.
Many experts have started recognizing the condition as an endocrine malfunction. Symptoms like insulin resistance where the body becomes resistant to the call of insulin have been observed in the condition. Also, obesity has been observed as a prominent marker of the condition in women. All these factors make affected people more prone to conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
A male equivalent of PCOS is under study. These men have a family history of PCOS and a similar hormonal disturbance has been observed in them along with hair loss. This has made the experts wonder whether the condition is not sex-specific but affects both men and women differently.