25% of infertile women affected by PCOS

INDORE: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (

PCOS

) is a common cause for infertility among

women

as it amounts to about 25 per cent of cases. A change in lifestyle and weight loss can help cure the disorder by a great extent, say city-based experts.

“PCOS is a common disorder among women between the ages of 20-40 years. Symptoms like infrequent or prolonged menstruation, acne, excess hair growth, oily skin and obesity are some indications of the disorder,” said Dr Kalyani

Shrimali

.

She added that the exact cause of PCOS is yet to be ascertained but hormonal imbalances and genetics play a role. Women with PCOS are on higher risk of miscarriage, gestational diabetes and premature delivery. They may need extra monitoring during pregnancies.

“The earlier PCOS is diagnosed and treated, lower are the risks of developing complications. A change in lifestyle along with regular excise and a healthy diet to decrease obesity can help cure the disorder by a great extent,” Dr Shrimali said.

Another city-based expert Dr Sushmita Mukherjee said that obesity cannot always be a deterrent to conceive as it can be managed with a change in lifestyle and regular excise and complete guidance.

“As a last resort, women can also undergo weight loss surgeries like bariatric and gastric band to improve symptoms of PCOS. However, weigh loss surgery should always be the last option as carries its own risk of complications, takes time to recover from and requires a significant change in lifestyle afterwards” she said.

Dr

Mukherjee

added that the patient is advised to wait several months or even up to a year before trying to get pregnant after the surgery, so that the woman has time to build up stores of the nutrients needed to grow a baby.