Quitting smoking reduces male hormones in women.
There is no cure for Polycystic ovary syndrome. The condition, which according to the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association affects 5 to 10 percent of all American females, can be managed by controlling the symptoms. Women with PCOS have a hormonal imbalance that causes fertility problems, acne, weight gain, excess facial hair growth, irregular periods and ovarian cysts. They are also at a higher risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and depression. Various lifestyle adjustments and medical treatments can restore the health of women with PCOS.
Instructions
1. Start a regular exercise routine to maintain a healthy weight to lose excess weight, if needed. Go walking, biking, swimming or jogging to increase your heart rate and caloric burn. Females with PCOS often gain weight for no apparent reason. A weight loss as little as 10 lbs. may help stabilize hormones, improve your body's use of insulin and regulate your menstrual period.
2. Eat a healthy diet to promote and support weight loss. Consume vegetables, whole-grains, fruits, raw nuts and lean meats. Avoid processed foods that are high in fat and sugar. Seek dietary help from a registered dietician, if needed.
3. Take oral contraceptives to control some of the PCOS symptoms. If you're not trying to get pregnant, birth control pills may help balance your hormones, regulate irregular periods and reduce acne and facial hair growth. Your doctor may also prescribe anti-androgens in combination with birth control pills. Anti-androgens are medicines that reduce the male hormones in women, so symptoms like facial hair growth are drastically reduced.
4. Stop smoking, if you smoke. Smoking increases male hormones in women.
5. Consider taking diabetes medication to stabilize insulin levels and reduce the production of testosterone in your body. Medication such as Metformin may help reduce your weight, control cholesterol levels, stimulate ovulation and reduce unwanted hair growth.
6. Undergo fertility treatment, if you desire to get pregnant. Women with PCOS don't ovulate, which makes it hard, if not impossible, to get pregnant. Oral and intravenous medicine can help stimulate ovulation, so the chances of pregnancy increase.
7. Use over-the-counter products to control physical symptoms of PCOS. It may take awhile before prescribed medications start reducing acne and facial hair growth. Use commercial, acne-combating facial products and shave, wax or tweeze excess hair growth, while you wait for the medicines to start working.
8. Undergo surgery to stimulate ovulation, if fertility medication doesn't work. Ovarian drilling is a surgical procedure where part of the ovary is destroyed, resulting in a temporary stimulation of ovulation and a reduction of male hormones.
Tags: hair growth, facial hair, facial hair growth, male hormones, with PCOS, hormones women