Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Should Be Tested For Diabetes
Insulin imbalance and high blood sugar are hallmark signs of diabetes. But these same symptoms in some women are associated with chronic menstrual problems, fatigue, weight gain, and infertility—a condition known as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Insulin, the hormone responsible for keeping glucose levels constant in the blood, is also important to reproductive health it turns out. Excess insulin seems to wreak havoc on the ovaries causing an over production of testosterone. This, in turn, leads to the irregular periods, obesity, inconsistent ovulation and benign ovarian cysts found in PCOS.
With PCOS now linked to insulin problems, new guidelines were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Endrocrinology and Metabolism that recommend routine diabetic testing for all women with PCOS.
Young women, in particular, may not show full diabetic symptoms when they are first diagnosed with PCOS. Researchers hope that early screening will help identify those who are at risk for diabetes. Patients then can make changes early on to their weight, diet and lifestyle to delay or possibly prevent the development of diabetes later in life.
