According to a review, up to 20% of women of child-bearing age have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome(PCOS). Fifty percent of these women will develop type 2 diabetes before 40. Prediabetes offers a window of opportunity to perform some interventions before this occurs. This review was done by Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences.
This article will take a deep dive into what these conditions mean and how they are interconnected. We will also go through how you can perform these interventions to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes.
What is PCOS?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by the formation of small fluid-filled sacs on enlarged ovaries. The cysts can impair ovulation causing menstrual abnormalities and subnormal fertility.
It is the commonest hormonal disorder in women. There is an imbalance of numerous body hormones, including insulin—the hormone implicated in diabetes. Also, there is an increased androgen—male hormone level, which is responsible for some of the symptoms seen in PCOS.
Symptoms of PCOS
Although about 10% of PCOS patients are asymptomatic, the following symptoms are common:
- Irregular menstruation
- Excessive body hair in a male pattern of distribution
- Male pattern baldness
- Recurrent miscarriages
- Acne
- Obesity
- Infertility
After taking your symptoms into context, doctors diagnose PCOS after looking at your ovaries using an ultrasound.
What You Need To Know About Prediabetes
Prediabetes is a blood sugar state where your sugar level is above normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Insulin resistance, a feature of PCOS, is a central cause of prediabetes. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 3 Americans has prediabetes, and 80% are unaware.
Recent research has shown that 5-10% of people diagnosed with prediabetes will progress to diabetes within a year. This data makes prediabetes an important stage to screen for diabetes and take action.
The Link between Prediabetes and PCOS
Insulin resistance is a common theme in both Prediabetes and PCOS. This is why numerous pieces of research evidence point towards a high co-existence of the two conditions.
In a Center for Disease Control (CDC) report, 1 out of 2 women diagnosed with PCOS develop diabetes or prediabetes before 40. In addition, a 2017 study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism suggested that women with PCOS have four times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes than other women.
A 2014 study by Manuel Luque-Ramírez and Héctor F. Escobar-Morreale emphasizes the coexistence between PCOS, obesity, and prehypertension. They encouraged the aggressive management of both conditions as soon as a PCOS diagnosis is made.
Co-managing PCOS and Prediabetes
Prediabetes is often seen as a stage to take action to stop progression to full-blown Type 2 diabetes. Therefore, medications are central to the management of PCOS. You might be given some drugs central to the management of PCOS. In addition, clinical evidence has shown that Physicians should give drugs to most PCOS patients to manage their insulin resistance. These steps help prevent the tipping of your prediabetes into a full-blown disease.
Additionally, the importance of lifestyle modification in managing prediabetes is well documented. Two important steps you can take to achieve this are modifying your diet and increasing your activity level through exercise.
Diet
1. Watch your carbs
Refined carbs and sugary drinks have a high glycemic index. Examples are white bread, soda, white rice, and pasta. If you have prediabetes, your body has difficulty lowering your blood sugar after meals. It is therefore important to avoid these types of carbohydrates in your meals.
2. Portion control
Eating too much food at a time causes higher blood sugar and insulin levels. People with prediabetes cannot handle this and are driven into the full-blown disease. A study showed that following a meal plan with appropriate portions of healthy food led. Klinio app has diet plans streamlined toward individuals with prediabetes and diabetes.
3. Drink plenty of water
A study by Harriet A. Carroll of the University of Bristol concluded that plain water intake might improve insulin response. This simple decision could be a cost-effective and simple health intervention to manage your prediabetes.
4. Eat more fiber-rich food
Foods like beans, vegetables, whole-grain bread, and cereals add bulk to your diet. As a result, they make you feel fuller for longer. They, therefore, limit your tendency to overeat. They also help you avoid the hunger that might make you reach for high-sugar food.
5. Cut out sugar-sweetened beverages.
This is an important feature of both PCOS and prediabetes. It is better to stick to zero-calorie smoothies, diet soda, or a simple glass of water.
Exercise
6. Being more active:
Take the stairs instead of the elevator, do brisk walking, dance, take a walk in the park, and do other activities you find interesting. These moves could help you transition from a sedentary life to an active one.
7. Aerobic exercise:
The CDC reports that half of all adult Americans do not get enough aerobic physical activity. This bodes bad news for the heart.
8. Strength training:
This training can be at the gym or within the comfort of your home. Body strength exercises, resistance bands, etc., aids in weight loss. It also forms an important component of managing prediabetes and PCOS.
Also read: Healing and Funny Replies To “Get Well Soon”
To wrap up
An elevated blood sugar level is an almost constant feature of PCOS. In addition, there exists a bidirectional relationship between the two conditions. Therefore, the management of PCOS and prediabetes is in multiple phases. Your doctors have a role, and so do you. We at Klinio have resolved to help keep you accountable and fulfill your part of the role. We have fully personalized diet and exercise plans tailored to help you.
