58 December 2013 www.womanthismonth.com LIFESTYLE | wellbeing Dealing with PCOS Our expert: Dr Huda Al-Jufairi, Ibn Al Nafees Hospital “Not all PCOS patients approach us with the same complaint,” says Dr Huda. “The goal of each patient differs; it could be to cure amenorrhea, skin problems or infertility.” The treatment plan is tailor-made as per the requirement of the patient. The downside is that there is no permanent cure for PCOS. Patients need to follow-up to keep it in check and may need differing treatment depending on their life stage. As usual PCOS patients are generally overweight, the first issue to be tackled is maintaining a healthy weight. PCOS can be controlled better with weight management. Once a healthy body mass index is achieved, symptoms reduce drastically due to better hormonal balance. Contrary to popular belief, it is not more difficult for PCOS patients to lose weight. It depends on the individual’s motivation and perseverance. There are various drugs to counter-effect the problems. The age, body type and goal of the patient are major factors in choosing the appropriate course of treatment. “If a patient needs to control her hirsutism, or severe acne, and is not interested to get pregnant, then oral contraceptives are administered,” says the expert. “On the other hand, if she wants to conceive in the near future, then metformin can be used for treatment.” Metformin is a wonder drug that is primarily used as an anti-diabetic, and also allows for normal ovulation, thereby regularising the menstrual cycle and facilitating fertility for those hopeful to conceive. As patients with PCOS are likely to have or develop diabetes, this drug has a two-pronged approach towards the problem. When common drugs do not help in conception, then other measures (like IVF and ovarian drilling) are resorted to. Dr Huda advocates a healthy diet, free of artificial additives as the first step in alleviating this problem. Junk food is loaded with synthetic hormones, which only makes PCOS worse. Our experts see scores of PCOS patients in Bahrain. Timely treatment and control allows for good health and a better quality of life. g Being obese ups the ante for life threatening illnesses
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