September is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, also known as PCOS, awareness month. I thought I would take this time to share some information on PCOS including what it exactly is, symptoms, and how acupuncture can help.
PCOS is a common condition that affects how a woman’s ovaries work. It interrupts the normal menstrual cycle and makes it harder to get pregnant. Every 1 in 10 women in the UK are affected by PCOS.
Though PCOS doesn’t have a cure, there are treatments and lifestyle changes that can be made to help your chances of getting pregnant.
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown, but studies have shown that it often runs in families as well as it being likely that many genes — not just one — contribute to the condition.
Having PCOS does not mean you can’t get pregnant. PCOS is one of the most common, but treatable, causes of infertility in women. The hormonal imbalance interferes with the growth and release of eggs from the ovaries (ovulation).
However, not every woman with PCOS is the same. Although some people may need the assistance of fertility treatments, others are able to conceive naturally.
If you have signs and symptoms of PCOS, they’ll usually become apparent during your late teens or early 20s.
They can include:
- Irregular periods or no periods at all – lack of ovulation prevents the uterine lining from shedding every month. Some women with PCOS get fewer than eight periods a year or none at all.
- Difficulty getting pregnant as a result of irregular ovulation or failure to ovulate
- Excessive hair growth – usually on the face, chest, back or buttocks
- Weight gain
- Thinning hair and hair loss from the head
- Oily skin or acne
Acupuncture can help balance hormones and stimulate the ovaries to produce as many follicles as possible.
Here at Gaynor Grozier Clinic, I work with each client individually to identify the course of treatments that will help them on their fertility journey and in most cases result in a pregnancy. There are several focus areas for acupuncture to assist during natural conception or your assisted fertility journey, all the options, tests and reasons are discussed during our initial consultation.
Fertility is an area that I am well practiced and extremely dedicated to, I have many success stories that bring joy and gratitude to me each day and keep me compelled to do more in this area to help people find answers and bring solutions.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to start your healing journey, I would love to support you.
