Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS or PCOD): Mother of all Lifestyle Diseases

Introduction

Polycystic ovarian disorder or syndrome (PCOD or PCOS) is a female disorder of hormonal imbalance. PCOD was first described by Dr. Stein and Dr. Leventhal in 1935 when they demonstrated a triad of polycystic ovaries, hirsutism, and oligo/amenorrhoea in the background of obesity in several patients. Hence it is also known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome.

Although the terms PCOS and PCOD are used interchangeably, they marginally vary. PCOS has multi-system involvement having hormonal, metabolic, and psychological components. It has more severe symptoms in comparison to PCOD. It is when there are more than twelve or more cysts in the ovary along with systemic symptoms. While PCOD is the condition resulting from hormonal imbalance affecting primarily ovaries. There is an enlargement of ovaries with increased androgens in the bloodstream. However, both the conditions mainly affect the women in the reproductive age group i.e., who are in between 15 to 45 years of age.

According to the World Health Organization, 116 million women were affected by PCOS worldwide in 2012. And the prevalence has been increasing with the advancement of the world. As per the research published in the medical journal in 2019, PCOS prevalence is from 3.7 to 22.5 percent in India. It is also the most common treatable cause of infertility in women due to anovulation. The probable causes that can be accounted for the ever-increasing number of females acquiring PCOD are obesity, lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, mental stress.

What Happens in PCOD

In PCOD at the ovarian level, ovaries become dysfunctional by the formation of multiple cysts and they begin to secrete androgens, which are also called male hormones. So, there is hyperandrogenism leading to raised levels of Testosterone and Androstenedione in a female body. The female hormones which are Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicular Stimulating Hormone (FSH), their levels are variedly disturbed.

These female hormones are accountable for ovulation and menstruation every month in a healthy female of reproductive age. But their disturbance in PCOD causes oligo/amenorrhoea which is decreased or absent menses leading to infertility. While the increased male hormones are responsible for acne, excess hair growth (hirsutism), development of masculine characteristics (virilization) such as deepening and hoarseness of voice.

However, ovarian dysfunction is not the only manifestation of PCOD, it is a multifaceted disorder. There is a high level of Insulin in patients also, as their body cannot utilize insulin properly due to hormonal imbalance in the body, resulting in weight gain, obesity, and diabetes.

The Psychological Thought Process Behind PCOD

Our brain is the mastermind of every action we perform through our body and also controls everything that happens inside the human body whether in health or sickness. Even during sleep when we are consciously unaware, our intelligent brain takes care of us and is aware of the surrounding. And in disease too, first there occur changes at the mental level in terms of thoughts and behavior before our brain commands our body to produce physical signs and symptoms which we label as the disease. But that thought process and behavior which leads to the development of a particular disease in the body is rarely understood and often overlooked. One of the ways to understand the underlying mental or behavioral changes for a particular disease is by understanding the function which the affected body part performs and where that function got impeded.

The ovarian dysfunction in PCOD can be understood with this explanation. Normally ovaries produce an egg every month whose ultimate purpose is to propagate the progeny. Progeny means either her product i.e., her children, or whom she is a product of i.e., her parents. Thus, psychologically ovaries are concerned with the loved ones a female has in her life (children, mother, and father). Any insecurity about her loved ones and the fear of losing them may trigger the formation of polycysts in the ovary.

Another aspect to consider is that there occurs masculinization of a female body. So if the physician patiently inquires into the history of the person concerned, the doctor can get at the root cause as to why there was a need in the first place to think that she(the patient) needs to be a male or why she denies feminity, where she was lacking as a female and thought to be a male would satisfy her needs as a person.

By understanding the causative factor it becomes much easier for the doctor to treat and manage the diseased condition.

Mental Health in PCOD

While most of us are familiar with the physical symptoms of PCOD, not many people are aware of the impact it can have on a woman’s mental health. Women with PCOD have anxiety, low self-esteem, poor self-perception, negative or unhealthy body image, etc. Although hormonal disturbance can be accounted for these low moods, the thoughts of undesirable self-image are largely due to change in the physical appearance of the female because of acne, weight gain, and facial hair.

Various epidemiological studies over the years have shown that women with PCOD have increased levels of anxiety and depression compared to women who do not. Emotional challenges must be addressed and counseled for by the physician. It is important to psycho-educate the person about the correlation of psychological input, output, and the PCOD for the effective management of the disorder.

How Homeopathy Can Treat, Manage, and Cure PCOD

Homeopathy is a holistic system of medicine in which the homeopathic doctor applies an individualistic approach and give medicine according to the symptom similarity. This implies that every holistic homeopathic treatment is tailored according to the person in disease based on their constitution. Such treatment not only helps to treat the disease but cure it in its all possible aspects. Hence, to treat a diseased person by an individualistic approach it becomes crucial to understand the ‘WHY’ of the underlying thought process which will help in selecting the right remedy and treat and cure the condition.

Here are some general physical rubrics that can be combined with the constitution of the person along with the individual mental rubrics to reach the right similimum.

A) Repertory of Hering’s Guiding Symptoms of our Materia Medica

Genitalia, female, ovaries, affections– (page 1130) ARN, KREOS, LYC, Pall, Plat

Genitalia, female, ovaries, congestion- (Page 1131) Apis, BELL, Ham, Polyg-h, SEP, Syph,

Genitalia, female, ovaries, swelling (see congested, enlarged, inflammation, tumor)- (page 1136) APIS, bell, BUFO, Con, Ham, IOD, LACH, LIL-T, Ust

B) Kent’s Repertory of Homeopathic Materia Medica

GENITALIA FEMALE; TUMORS;

Ovaries: Apis., Lach., Lyc., ars., bar-m., calc., coloc., iod., plat., podo., apoc., ars- fl -ac., graph., hep., staph., stram., syph., thuj., zinc.

References:

1) DC Dutta’s Textbook Of Gynecology, Sixth Edition

2) International Journal of Medical Research: https://www.ijmr.org.in/article.asp?issn=0971-5916;year=2019;volume=150

3) International Journal of Women’s Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5731436/

4) Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, ‘Homoeopathy in polycystic ovarian syndrome: A randomized placebo-controlled pilot study’. Indian J Res Homoeopathy 2014

5) German New Medicine: Female Sexual Organs

6) Repertory of Hering’s Guiding Symptoms Of Our Materia Medica By Calvin B. Knerr

7) Repertory Of The Homeopathic Materia Medica by James Tyler Kent

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