My name is Melinda Johnson and I suffered with foot pain for many years. I went to see a podiatrist and after an examination, I was told that I had heel spur syndrome. I followed the recommendations of my doctor by doing at home treatments along with physical therapy. I was amazed at how much these treatments helped my foot pain. Living with pain can have a big impact on your life and that's why I started this blog. My foot pain kept me from doing many things that I enjoy and I want to help others who are going through the same situation. As you browse through my blog, you'll learn about home treatments, medical procedures and new advancements in medicine that can help reduce pain. It is my hope that by writing this blog, you can live pain free too.
Loving My Pain Free Life
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Why This Diagnosis Is Cause For Checking Your Other Hormone Levels
Claire Roberts
If you have recently visited your gynecology clinic and your doctor diagnosed you with polycystic ovary syndrome, you may want to have many of your other hormone levels checked. While genetics and obesity can both be causes for polycystic ovary syndrome, so can hormonal imbalances. Here are some more reasons why you may want to check your other hormone levels when you get this diagnosis.
Imbalances with FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone)
Follicle stimulating hormone, or FSH, is the hormone produced by your pituitary gland that stimulates your ovaries to produce egg follicles and ready them for fertilization. If you have polycystic ovary syndrome, you probably have a much higher level of FSH, in which case your OB/GYN should take a look at your pituitary gland and make sure there is nothing wrong with it. Sometimes small tumors or growths on the pituitary can cause it to produce excess amounts of certain hormones (or lack of hormones), which in turn causes several endocrine and exocrine gland issues.
Imbalances with Estrogen and Progesterone
If your condition is caused by female hormone levels that are out of whack, you may have other gynecological issues as well. If your doctor has not asked for a blood draw to check your estrogen and progesterone, you may want to request the tests yourself. Elevated levels of one or the other can affect the uterus such that you could have a thickening or thinning of the endometrium. An excessive thickening of the endometrium can cause fertility issues and cancer. A thinning can prevent you from becoming pregnant because there is nothing for a fertilized egg to attach to. A lack of estrogen can also affect your vagina, thinning it out and decreasing its natural lubricants, which would make sex both painful and unpleasant.
Imbalances with TSH and Insulin
On top of the fertility issues you may be experiencing with your ovaries, your thyroid and pancreas may also be affected. Additional hormonal issues with your thyroid and pancreas may lead to other fertility problems that will coincide with your polycystic ovary syndrome. TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone, is responsible for activating your thyroid gland, maintaining metabolism and regulating body temperature. Imbalances with your TSH produce nodules on your thyroid which can become cancerous or steal vital nutrients like iodine from your bloodstream. In some women this can trigger a miscarriage.
As for your pancreas, it produces insulin, a vital sugar regulator in your body. Since pregnancy can bring on gestational diabetes and miscarriage, you also want your insulin levels maintained. A simple blood draw or bloodwork panel can find all of your hormonal imbalances and then your doctor can prescribe the right medicines and treatments to correct your imbalances. In turn, this may decrease or eliminate your original diagnosis of polycystic ovaries and you will find it easier to conceive.
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