Drinking water makes you fat and your menstrual irregularities are caused by this! ——Ten misconceptions about polycystic ovary syndrome (Part 1)

Irregular menstruation and gaining weight even after drinking water are two "unsolvable" problems that have troubled countless female friends. Although seemingly unsolvable, the culprit may be polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)! It has become one of the most common gynecological endocrine diseases in clinical practice, with one in every 15 to 20 young women suffering from PCOS. Even so, it is still somewhat unfamiliar to most ordinary people, and there are even many misunderstandings about it.

1. This disease sounds like a cyst on the ovary. Could it be a tumor? Do I need surgery?

The name of this disease has misled people for too many years. Many people understand it as "a lot of cysts growing on the ovaries", but this is not the case.

The "cysts" in polycystic ovary syndrome are not tumors, but a bunch of small follicles that do not grow big. They appear as small "cysts" under B-ultrasound, which is how the disease got its name. However, as the research on this disease gradually deepens, we find that its impact on the female body is mainly in the aspects of reproduction (irregular menstruation and infertility caused by ovulation disorders) and metabolism (abnormal sugar and lipid metabolism, cardiovascular disease), which has nothing to do with tumors.

As for "surgery", there is indeed a "ovarian puncture" used to treat polycystic ovary disease, but it is rarely used in clinical practice, so there is no need to worry about the surgery.

However, don’t underestimate it just because you hear “no surgery required”, and don’t leave it alone. In the eyes of doctors, it is actually much more difficult to treat than many problems that can be cured by surgery (such as uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts).

2. Isn't it said that all patients with polycystic ovary syndrome will become fat and have more body hair? But I don't, is the doctor wrong?

Shakespeare once said: There are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand audiences.

In fact, in the eyes of doctors, this is also true for polycystic patients, because it is a highly heterogeneous syndrome, and the manifestations of each polycystic patient can be different:

There are "circumferential fat" and naturally "swallow thin" (obese and non-obese types account for about half each);

Some have acne-covered faces and thick moustaches like a "female man", while others have fair and smooth skin that is enviable;

Some people don’t have their periods for years, which makes people suspect that their relatives have cut off contact with them. Some people’s periods are as regular as a clock…

This is also the complexity of the disease. Therefore, do not simply use your physical appearance to judge whether you have polycystic ovary syndrome or not. If it is so easy for you to see through it, how can we doctors make a living?

3. I heard that this disease is related to genetics, but my mother doesn’t have this disease, so why do I have it?

Yes, current research results have confirmed that it is related to genetics. In clinical practice, we do encounter many sisters, or even mothers and daughters, who come to see the doctor together. However, I am afraid that many people have misunderstandings about the concept of "genetics" - in the eyes of many people, genetics means that their elders or family members suffer from the same disease as themselves, and even have the same symptoms.

In fact, this is not the case. The transmission of genetic information to the next generation does not mean that the next generation will definitely get the same disease, because the eventual occurrence of many diseases depends not only on genetics, but also on the environment, lifestyle, etc.

On the bright side, if the offspring of polycystic patients develop a healthy lifestyle, it is entirely possible that they will not develop polycystic disease.

Moreover, "inheritance" is not limited to female family members. If the father has symptoms of high androgen such as hirsutism and hair loss, it also falls into the category of polycystic ovary syndrome.

4. I heard that if you get this disease you won’t be able to have children, but I’m not married yet. Am I going to be a leftover woman for the rest of my life?

Who said that you can't have children if you have this disease? This is obviously out of context! Polycystic patients do have ovulation problems, which makes it more difficult for them to get pregnant than normal people, but——

As long as you can cooperate with the doctor's professional treatment, adjust to a healthy lifestyle, and use ovulation induction and other methods when necessary, pregnancy is not "out of reach". It can be said responsibly that if there are no other factors that cause infertility (such as blocked fallopian tubes, extremely poor semen quality of the male, etc.), the chance of pregnancy for polycystic patients is almost the same as that of normal women.

Therefore, when it’s time to fall in love, fall in love; when it’s time to get married, get married. We won’t take the blame for being “leftover women”!

5. Doctor, I have been to various major hospitals for more than five years, but there is still no cure. Please think of a solution!

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that PCOS, like other chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, currently has no "curable" method. However, as long as you cooperate with the doctor's treatment, it is completely controllable. Our attitude is to pay attention to it tactically and despise it strategically!

Many patients always ask: "When will this disease end? At 40? At 50?"

The answer is: timely intervention and lifelong management. Look carefully, it is "lifelong"!

So, please don’t complain about why your menstruation is always irregular after stopping the medication, because this is the characteristic of the disease;

Please do not question why the doctor always reminds you to have regular checkups and keep exercising, because this is the characteristic of the disease;

Please don't complain to the doctor for asking you to take medicine or have your blood drawn every once in a while, because that is the characteristic of the disease.

Please remember that the person who wants you to stay healthy the most, besides your family, should be your doctor. All chronic disease management is based on a "cooperative" relationship of mutual trust between doctors and patients.

Content from : Gu Zhuowei Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine