PCOS AND MENTAL HEALTH

Presented by
Masooma Zainab 44
Khadija Ghazanfar 27
Nimra Saif 37
Zainab Iqbal 14
Zainab Azmat 51
 Contents
What is PCOS ?
Types of PCOS
Causes pf PCOS
Symptoms of PCOS
Treatments of PCOS
PCOS and menta health
What is Pcos :
 Pcos is known as polycystic ovarian syndrome
 Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common
condition that affects how a woman's ovaries work
 Between 5% and 10% of women between 15 and
44, or during the years you can have children, have
PCOS. Most women find out they have PCOS in
their 20s and 30s, when they have problems getting
pregnant and see their doctor. But PCOS can
happen at any age after puberty.
 Women of all races and ethnicities are at risk of
PCOS. Your risk of PCOS may be higher if you have
obesity or if you have a mother, sister, or aunt with
PCOS.
 Pcos may vary across populations
 the 3 main features of PCOS are:
 Irregular periods – which means your ovaries do not
regularly release eggs (ovulation)
 Excess androgen – high levels of "male" hormones in your
body, which may cause physical signs such as excess facial
or body hair
 Polycystic ovaries – your ovaries become enlarged and
contain many fluid-filled sacs (follicles) that surround the
eggs (but despite the name, you do not actually have cysts
if you have PCOS)
 If you have at least 2 of these features, you may be
diagnosed with PCOS.
Types of pcos
There are four types of pcos
 Insulin resistance
 Post pill pcos
 Inflammatory pcos
 Adrenal pcos
Insulin-resistant pcos
 Under normal conditions, the hormone insulin rises briefly
after eating. It stimulates the liver and muscles to take up
sugar from the blood and convert it to energy. That then
causes blood sugar to fall, and then insulin to fall
 With insulin resistance, blood sugar may be normal, but
insulin is high Because the pancreas has to make more and
more insulin to try to get its message through. Too much
insulin generates inflammation and causes weight gain. It
can also lead to Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. 
 In women with Pcos their body can make insulin but can
not utilize it
 the insulin key cannot get into the insulin
receptor lock. The glucose remains stuck in the
bloodstream and the result is persistently
elevated blood sugar. 
 The pancreas responds by producing more
insulin, shifting the beta cells into overdrive.
That means there’s an ongoing excess of insulin
circulating in the body. Though insulin is a
crucial hormone, continually high levels
contribute to weight gain, elevated
triglycerides, high blood pressure, and
hardening of the arteries.  Over time as insulin
resistance progresses, beta cells start to tire out
and produce less insulin. Blood sugar levels
become even harder to control.
Pill-induced pcos
 This type is the second most common PCOS. It
gets developed due to the birth control pills
which suppress ovulation. For most of the
women, these effects do not last long and they
resume ovulating after the effect of the pill is
over.
 The pill suppresses the communication between
the brain and your ovaries which stops
ovulation. When most women stop the pill, this
communication will come back right away along
with regular ovulation and regular periods. 
Inflammatory pcos
 Inflammation occurs when your body’s natural immune
system, composed of white blood cells and other factors,
reacts to a foreign substance in an attempt to protect your
body from a perceived threat. Unfortunately, sometimes your
body's inflammation response gets triggered inappropriately
and causes your immune system to react to your own tissues
and cells.
 In PCOS due to inflammation, ovulation is prevented,
hormones get imbalanced and androgens are produced.
Inflammation is caused due to stress, toxins of environment
and inflammatory dietary like gluten.
 If you have symptoms such as headaches, infections or skin
allergies and your blood tests show that you are deficient of
vitamin D, your blood count is not normal, increased levels of
thyroid then you might be one having inflammatory PCOS.
Adrenal pcos
 The adrenal glands sit on top of each kidney and produce a
number of hormones including the stress hormone cortisol
and androgens. For most PCOS patients, both
the adrenal glands and the ovaries are the source of excess
androgens
Causes of pcos
• Doctors don’t know exactly what causes PCOS. They believe
that high levels of male hormones prevent the ovaries from
producing hormones and making eggs normally.
• Genes, insulin resistance, and inflammation have all been
linked to excess androgen production.
Symptoms of pcos
• Some women start seeing symptoms around the time of
their first period. Others only discover they have PCOS
after they’ve gained a lot of weight or they’ve had
trouble getting pregnant.
 The most common PCOS symptoms are:

 Irregular periods. A lack of ovulation prevents the

uterine lining from shedding every month. Some women

with PCOS get fewer than eight periods a year

Heavy bleeding. The uterine lining builds up for a longer

period of time, so the periods you do get can be heavier

than normal.

Hair growth. More than 70 percent of women with this

condition grow hair on their face and body — including on

their back, belly, and chest . Excess hair growth is called

hirsutism.
 Acne. Male hormones can make the skin oilier than
usual and cause breakouts on areas like the face,
chest, and upper back.
 Weight gain. Up to 80 percent of women with PCOS
are overweight or obese (11).
 Male-pattern baldness. Hair on the scalp gets thinner
and fall out.
 Darkening of the skin. Dark patches of skin can form
in body creases like those on the neck, in the groin,
and under the breasts.
 · Headaches. Hormone changes can trigger headaches
 in some women.
Treatments
Birth control pills and other medicines can help regulate the menstrual cycle
and treat PCOS symptoms like hair growth and acne.
Birth control
Taking estrogen and progestin daily can restore a normal hormone balance,
regulate ovulation, relieve symptoms like excess hair growth, and protect
against endometrial cancer. These hormones come in a pill, patch, or 
vaginal ring.
Metformin
Metformin (Glucophage, Fortamet) is a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes. It
also treats PCOS by improving insulin levels.
One study found that taking metformin while making changes to diet and
exercise improves weight loss, lowers blood sugar, and restores a normal
menstrual cycle better than changes to diet and exercise alone
 Clomiphene
 Clomiphene (Clomid) is a fertility drug that can help women
with PCOS get pregnant. However, it increases the risk for
twins and other multiple births
 Hair removal medicines
 A few treatments can help get rid of unwanted hair or stop
it from growing. Eflornithine (Vaniqa) cream is a
prescription drug that slows hair growth. Laser hair removal
 and electrolysis can get rid of unwanted hair on your face
and body.
 Surgery
 Surgery can be an option to improve fertility if other
treatments don’t work. Ovarian drilling is a procedure that
makes tiny holes in the ovary with a laser or thin heated
needle to restore normal ovulation.
Pcos and mental health
 Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex condition
which impacts many aspects of a person’s health, including
mental health. People who have been diagnosed with PCOS
are about 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety
and depression than people without PCOS . People with
PCOS are also much more likely to report symptoms of
anxiety and depression and those symptoms are more likely
to be severe
 Most of the research on PCOS and mental health has
focused on depression and anxiety, but it may also be
associated with an increased risk of obsessive compulsive
disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, and eating disorders .
 Some people with PCOS report feeling frustrated and
anxious about their ability to become pregnant, their
weight, excess body and facial hair, or lack of control over
their health and bodies 
 Researchers have looked into whether differences in
hormone levels in PCOS explain the increased risk for
anxiety and depression. Some people with PCOS have
insulin resistance, resulting in higher levels of insulin in the
bloodstream. One study found that greater 
insulin resistance increased the risk for depression (11), but
other studies found no difference (12,13). One study
showed that people with greater insulin resistance reported
more anxiety symptoms, but more research is needed
Hormonal differences
 Androgen (a group of hormones including testosterone) are
elevated in many people with PCOS. Only one study has
looked at levels of testosterone and found no effect on
depression and anxiety symptoms Higher levels
of DHEAS (a type of androgen hormone) may be associated
with increased risk for depression and anxiety in people
with PCOS, but this was only found in one study and more
research is needed 
Brain chemicals
 People with PCOS who have anxiety or depression may
have lower levels of certain neurotransmitters (chemicals
that send signals throughout the brain and nervous
system). Neurotransmitters like serotonin (a chemical
messenger within the nervous system that is associated
with positive feelings) play an important role in depression
and anxiety. One study showed that people with PCOS who
have low levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters
report more symptoms of depression and anxiety (15).
Does depression and pcos occur together

 Researchers aren’t exactly sure why depression and PCOS

often occur together. However, there are several research-
supported hypotheses as to why this is the case.
 Insulin resistance is also associated with depression,
although it isn’t clear why. One theory is that insulin
resistance changes how the body makes certain hormones
 that can lead to prolonged stress and depression.
 Many women with PCOS struggle with mood disorders
including depression. Others have lower level mood issues
that manifest as irritability, lethargy and a short temper.
 Stress
 PCOS itself is known to cause stress, particularly over the physical
symptoms of the condition, such as excessive facial and body hair.
 This stress can lead to anxiety and depression. It’s more likely to affect
younger women with PCOS.
 Inflammation
 PCOS is also associated with inflammation throughout the body. Prolonged
inflammation is associated with high cortisol levels, which increases stress
and depression.
 High cortisol also increases the risk of insulin resistance, which in turn can
cause depression.
 Obesity
 Women with PCOS are more likely to be obese than women without PCOS.
 Obesity is associated with depression, regardless of whether or not it’s
related to PCOS. However, this likely has a small effect on the association
between depression and PCOS.
• Still there is much more that women with pcos go through
whether they are mood disorders, eating disorders, anxiety
or depression that I will not be able to cover in this
presentation
• But for everyone in this world there is a
hope that keeps them going through
all………..