Time to seriously think of PCOS

By Dr. Shweta Goswami    

PCOS which is called Poly cystic ovarian syndrome is a hormonal imbalance disorder in which woman’s levels of sex hormones estrogen and progesterone gets out of balance. This leads to growth of ovarian cysts. To elaborate what actually cysts is that in girls with PCOS, the ovaries produce higher levels of androgen than normal, and this interferes with egg development and release. Some of the eggs develop into cysts which are little sacs filled with liquid and instead of being released during ovulation, these cysts build up in the ovaries and even get enlarged , hence the name poly cystic ovaries or Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome. Thus a girl or woman with PCOS does not actually have cysts in her ovaries, she has lots of egg follicles in various stages of maturation which on an ultrasound give the appearance of numerous fluid filled cysts in both ovaries  

Mostly more than half of women with poly cystic ovary syndrome don't even realize they have PCOS; mainly hormonal imbalances and genetics play a pivotal role in developing PCOS.   

Women with infrequent menstrual periods or irregular bleeding are likely to have PCOS. Moreover if you notice these symptoms in your body then please do consult a good IVF specialist as PCOS could give you infertility as well which means that you are unable to get pregnant on your own.  

One should consider getting evaluated for PCOS if:   

• you  have irregular menstrual cycle or prolonged cycles (beyond 35 days or so)
• increased growth of hair on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs, or toes 
• your skin is breaking out or you get acne, oily skin, or you are getting dandruff  
• you have gained extra weight around your tummy   
• darkening of skin around your neck    

If PCOS is not diagnosed early and treated properly it can lead to problems as well like type 2 diabetes , high cholesterol, high blood pressure, abnormal bleeding from the uterus, and very occasionally cancer too. The most important step is screening the condition and PCOS can be easily diagnosed through Blood tests and Ultrasound and therefore the chances of having serious side effects are reduced. The important thing is to diagnose

Stress declining fertility level among males

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Stress is the most over used term these days and there are numerous problems that stress causes like asthma, heart problems, constant headaches, obesity, depression and many more. Infertility is said to occur when a couple fails to conceive despite of one year of trying without any protection. Many researches in the past have shown the results that stress is the main factor that causes infertility in men.   

One of the very popular myth is that infertility is always a woman’s problem. In fact out of 100% nearly 30% of all infertility cases, the cause is attributed to a problem in the male, 30% of cases, the cause is attributed in female and 40% to both combined male and female factors . 

The main cause of male infertility is the abnormalities in sperm which includes low sperm production or immobile sperm. In addition to this one’s lifestyle plays a pivotal role in fertility levels. In today’s time stress is inevitably creeping into our lives and increasing cases of infertility globally. This has been scientifically established by comparing fertility levels of men in the older times compared to the present scenario with a definite increase in stress levels also on comparison.

Men with hectic jobs are at the highest risk of infertility especially those who works in night shifts are affected more as compared to men working in morning shifts as their biological clock is very badly disturbed. They sleep during the day and to keep themselves awake, they often smoke, which damages the system further. The stress at work place and sitting for long