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Polycystic ovaries and the contraceptive pill
My 24-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with polycystic ovaries. Her symptoms included prolonged PMT, erratic periods and patches of acne high on each cheek. She was prescribed the contraceptive pill to control her hormone levels and while this did clear up the acne, it triggered migraines and numbness down the arms and face. She stopped taking it immediately and is now looking for a complementary solution.
Polycystic ovaries describes a common but often hidden condition where the ovaries are covered in a string of tiny, fluid-filled cysts. They can easily be seen using an ultrasound scan but most women do not know they suffer this condition until they experience problems in trying to conceive.
It is a genetic condition and there is no cure - but you can use natural remedies to control the symptoms, which vary depending on the severity of the case and frequently include excess and unexplained weight gain, irregular periods, facial hair, especially around the chin, fertility problems and skin problems including acne.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS is believed to affect as many as one in five women and is caused by raised levels of the male hormone, testosterone. The pill is prescribed in a bid to try and regulate this hormone imbalance but many women, like your daughter, have an adverse reaction. Researchers have also found that PCOS sufferers have more difficulty in metabolising glucose and, therefore, have a higher risk of developing diabetes in later life.
Dr Adam Carey, co-founder of The Centre for Nutritional Medicine in London (no longer in operation), has a special interest in PCOS and has written the first book devoted entirely to this subject. His co-author is the health journalist, Colette Harris, features editor of Here’s Health, who was herself a sufferer but who adopted a radical alternative programme and astonished her doctors by eradicating the cysts and the symptoms within a year.
In the meantime, your daughter needs to control her weight. The less body fat she carries, the less potent the effects of the testosterone, but even being mildly overweight can greatly exacerbate the symptoms. She also, says Dr Carey, needs to avoid carbohydrates and include a small amount of protein with each meal, which will reduce the body’s tendency to lay down fat derived from foods like bread and pasta.