PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, affects 116 million women worldwide and is characterized by hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, and cysts on the ovaries.
Dr. Stephanie Coulter, Director of the Women’s Center at the Texas Heart Institute, said the condition leads to symptoms like infertility and weight gain. These side effects aren’t simply from overeating, but a genetic condition that can set you up for a lifetime of complications.
“Their ovaries are driven by their body chemistry and their genetic code to make male hormones. So, there’s a lot of interplay between that and insulin resistance, obesity,” explained Dr. Coulter.
Dr. Coulter said that increases your risk for cardiovascular disease.
A recent study published by the American Academy of Neurology found that women with PCOS may also have an increased risk of cognitive impairment.
Researchers followed over 900 women over 30 years and found that those with PCOS performed worse on tests measuring memory, attention, and executive function.
“I think understanding how sex influences biological processes in the brain that lead to Alzheimer’s and dementia can help us identify therapies that would work best for women,” said Sepideh Shokouhi, assistant professor of psychiatric and behavioral sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The exact mechanisms underlying the link between PCOS and health complications are still being explored.
However, hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction associated with PCOS are thought to play a role.
Doctors say women with PCOS should protect their health by exercising, controlling their blood pressure, and keeping their cholesterol levels in the healthy range.
“Beyond medicine, I hope to see an increase in women’s cognitive and mental health, including educational and lifestyle changes that can help us to become more resilient,” Shokouhi said.
Dr. Coulter said with data like this it’s important to get specialized care by regularly seeing an endocrinologist.
“Instead of coming in for cardiovascular risk assessments at age 50, for some people that’s too late. That’s too late. You need to be very, very clear about assessing risk in certain individuals at an earlier time,” Coulter said. “This is where it’s going to take the entire medical community to help us.”