PCOS and Type II Diabetes

[JMUBabe18]

I was recently tested for my blood sugar levels and they're all normal. I've heard that pcos can make you have symptoms of diabetes even when you don't. is this true?

[Coop2004]

The following is an article from DiabetesInControl.com. IMHO, it means that although there is a risk for diabetes, it doesn't mean that you will definitely get it. The best thing is to keep a check an eye on it with your doctor. And doing Atkins certainly helps!!

http://www.defeatdiabetes.org/Articles/pcos030212.htm

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Linked to Diabetes - posted 02/12/03

Many scientists and doctors now think PCOS actually is a diabetes precursor.

An emerging body of research has linked a common but misunderstood gynecological disorder among women with one of the most rapidly growing illnesses in the United States -- diabetes.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, affects up to 10 percent of American women of childbearing age. It occurs when the ovaries manufacture too much testosterone, the so-called male hormone, rendering them unable to produce eggs.

Dr. Geoffrey Redmond, an endocrinologist specializing in women's health, said "There's no question about the association."

"One of the problems is that people haven't put the pieces together," Redmond said. "If you have PCOS you probably have subtle insulin resistance," the key characteristic of diabetes." The focus has been on infertility and menstrual changes" with regards to PCOS, he explained, "but now health care professionals need to recognize anybody who has clear-cut signs needs to be screened for diabetes."

Although PCOS typically is perceived as a gynecological disorder -- because it impairs fertility and can cause irregular periods or no periods at all -- a growing body of evidence suggests PCOS is more of a disorder of the endocrine system with gynecological consequences.

The ovaries are part of the endocrine system, which regulates the body's hormones, including the hormones that govern menstruation as well as production of insulin -- another hormone critical to metabolism.

Redmond said PCOS appears to be genetic, particularly among women with family histories of diabetes. Although dietary restrictions, such as cutting down on carbohydrates, and exercise can influence the body's hormone levels and even improve insulin sensitivity, PCOS is not curable. However, it can be easily managed with oral contraceptives or other hormone-based medications.

For example, estimates from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. -- which last November received a $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study PCOS and diabetes -- indicate PCOS patients face a risk of diabetes seven times higher than women who do not have the condition. Diabetes can lead to heart disease and kidney and eye problems.

PCOS symptoms include acne, obesity and growth of facial hair, though scientists have said women without these symptoms still can have the condition. Irregular periods also are a PCOS trait, though women's health experts caution that not every woman with an irregular period has PCOS.

One medication receiving attention among those studying PCOS is Metformin, an anti-diabetic drug. For example, at the Pennsylvania State Hershey Medical Center, researchers are comparing whether Metformin can help PCOS patients become pregnant by helping to treat their hormone imbalances.

The research will compare the women with other PCOS patients who either are taking just Clomid, an ovulation inducer that does not treat endocrine disorders, a combination of Metformin and Clomid, or a placebo. Results will not be available for several months.

The research has found 40 percent of obese women with PCOS have impaired glucose tolerance, a marker signaling diabetes, and these women have the full onset of diabetes by age 40.

Although obesity can affect hormone balances, thin women with PCOS are just as likely to develop diabetes because of their bodies' inability to process hormones properly, which can lead to insulin resistance, That's something that's found in lean women (with PCOS) as well as overweight women.

Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com.

Linda (Coop)