PCOS And Depression: How to Deal?

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Over the past few months, I have been noticing excessive hair growth on my face. Initially, I thought it to be some hormonal imbalance. The facial hair wasn’t just it. Gradually I started developing anxiety and stress. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome(PCOS). It not only affected my physical health but also worsened my mental health. A little stress, in the beginning, escalated to frequent anxiety attacks and I plunged into depression. It was a dual joust one to recover my physical health and another for my mental health says, 28 years Niti.

Studies suggest that around 4-20 percent of women of reproductive age suffer from PCOS, which makes it the most common health disorder among women. It may occur right after the first periods at the age of 11-12 or in the late 30s or beyond.

What is PCOS?

PCOS is an endocrine disorder that affects the function of the ovaries. The hormones go out of whack as the ovaries produce excess androgen. This develops fluid-filled sacs around ovaries called cysts. The cyst contains immature eggs called follicles. The follicles fail to regularly release eggs

Symptoms

The symptoms of PCOS are less visible. Symptoms of PCOS range from irregular periods,skin darkness and acne, male pattern baldness, weight gain and infertility, etc. Some women may suffer from one of these symptoms or might develop all of them together.

Irregular Periods: Irregular periods or the absence of periods during the reproductive age is the most common and visible symptom of PCOS as the follicles fail to release the eggs regularly.

Another condition is heavy or prolonged periods, a situation in which the periods last for more days and are normal along with heavy bleeding.

Excess androgen: The excess of androgen hormone results in acne, facial and body hair sometimes this may even escalate to male-pattern baldness too.

Excess Hair Growth: You may notice excess facial hair growth more than usual. This commonly happens due to excess androgen hormones. Besides this some women may face loss of hair in clumps and patches, a condition called Alopecia Areata.

Effects on mental health

The drastic physical changes in the body can push the person into anxiety and depression. These changes heavily affect the mental state of a person’s mind. The unpreparedness for all the symptoms and the inability to locate the results of the cause in mental health issues.

Studies suggest anywhere between 27-50 percent of women suffer from depression and anxiety while battling PCOS as compared to 19 percent of women without PCOS.

There is no absolute reason for stress and anxiety during PCOS but here are some of the common reasons that affect one’s mental health

Insulin resistance: During PCOS a woman’s body can make insulin but fails to use it effectively. The body refuses to take in glucose and this elevates the level of blood sugar resulting in diabetes. This also changes the hormonal composition – resulting in stress, anxiety, and depression.

Inflammation: The cortisol levels increase in the body during PCOS. The high cortisol levels increase inflammation throughout the body causing stress and anxiety.

Weight gain: Generally women are conscious of their weight. Thanks to the fake beauty standards and changing beauty trends. The inability to maintain a perfect body type pushes one into stress and sometimes even causes depression.

How to deal with the mental health issues in PCOS?

The mental health issues in PCOS can be resolved using similar precautions You just need to talk it all out honestly about the state of your mental health to your doctor. If PCOS is the main cause behind your mental health issues then your doctor may start by treating the primary causes first such as obesity, facial hair, hormonal acne, etc. Here are a few ways to address the issue. There are various options to address the issue few of them are listed below.

Talk Therapy: Talk therapy is the most effective treatment. This allows the person to communicate freely about the state of their mental health to the council. Talk therapy also allows them to locate the particular reasons affecting them.

Joining Support Groups: Combating an issue collectively makes it easier to solve the problem. One must prefer joining a similar group of people dealing with a similar problem. This will help provide a familiar environment and encourage you to take steps in a positive direction.

Antidepressants: At times when the matters become severe. Antidepressants could be the final resort to deal with mental health issues. It is advised to take antidepressants only at the doctor’s discretion otherwise it may prove to be harmful.

Mental health issues are common with PCOS. It can be treated with proper diagnosis and treatment. Once you start working on the underlying issues the mental health issues mitigates to a great extent. All you need is a positive approach and focused efforts.

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All of us fondly remember the time when we freshly learned about human anatomy at school or at home. Rightly recognizing the hands, legs, forehead, ears, mouth, tongue, feet, etc. made us nothing short of smart kids. But seldom we were taught about our sexual parts like the Vagina and Vulva. Shame Shame, down there, pee place became a byword for our genitals.

It’s about time to shed the shame and hold an absolute conversation about female genitalia, learn the difference, and correct usage. Starting with the basics – Do you know the difference between Vulva and Vagina? You might be using the latter word more often to address your genitalia as a whole. Guess What – Vulva and Vagina are two different parts of your genitalia’s anatomy.

To what part exactly should I call vulva?

Hey! That is an easy one to learn about. The vulva is actually the outer part of your genitalia. It includes the pubic mound, the labia majora and minora, the pleasure factory, Clitoris, The urethral opening, and the vaginal opening.

Let’s get to the details

Pubic Mound

Pubic Mound or mons pubis is an upside-down triangle-shaped mound. It is made up of fatty tissues that extend from the top of the pubic hairline to the clitoris. An area that starts growing hair patches right from puberty.

Labia Majora

Labia Majora is the two folds that extend from the pubic mound and merges with the perineum skin. Commonly known as the outer lips of the vagina these can be pink, brown or red in color.

Labia Minora

Labia minora is the inside part of the vagina that begins from the clitoris and ends at the vaginal opening. It has varying lengths and colors.

Clitoris

The pea-shaped erogenous organ capable of sexual stimulation. It is situated at the top of the vagina above the urethra. A bundle of nerves that expands the farthest and can vary in size.

Urethral opening

Commonly called the pee hole. It is situated beneath the clitoris from where the urine comes out.

Vaginal opening

Situated between labia majora and minora and below the clitoris and urethra.

Is there some perfect shape of the vulva?

If you believe there is a perfect shape for the vulva then thanks to porn and pop culture for distorting the reality. Indeed there is no perfect shape of the vulva. Every vulva is of different shape, color, and size. Your vulva of whatever shape, size, and the color is perfectly normal.

What is the Vagina then?

The Vagina is an elastic muscular canal that extends from the vulva to the cervix. It is a passage where the lining of the uterus is shed during menstruation and the baby descends during birth.

What does my Vagina do?

Your vagina is an amazing multi-tasker. It does not create a passage for period blood to flow out of the body and helps in childbirth but also enables sexual pleasure.

Pleasure: The Vaginal walls are extremely sensitive and enable sexual pleasure with the help of a penis, finger or a sex toy.

Menstruation: The period blood along with other menstrual waste flushes out of the body through the vaginal canal. During the periods we insert tampons and menstrual cups inside the vagina to prevent leakage.

Pregnancy: During sex if your partner ejaculates the sperms swim through the vaginal canal and uterus to reach the fallopian tubes and fertilize the eggs.

Childbirth: The baby descends into the Vagina from the uterus to finally make it out of the body through the vaginal opening.

How do I use these terms correctly?

While talking about inserting something inside of the vagina like a penis, sex toy, tampon or menstrual cup make sure to use the term vagina while the outer parts of your genitalia visible through naked eyes will be called the vulva.

How do I keep my vulva and vagina clean?

Your Vagina is a self-cleaning organ that do not need any perfumed soap or feminine hygiene product to clean themselves. Your vagina is as self-reliant as you are. It maintains a good pH balance that keeps the bacteria at bay. The vagina is lined with a mucous membrane. The mucus that it produces during the menstrual cycle protects it against any harmful bacteria and infection.

Whereas the vulva has another cleaning mechanism. The hair patch on the pubic mound prevents dirt and pathogens from entering the genitals Thus, need not bother shaving your vulva every now and then. However, you can clean it with warm water and mild soap at times.

Remember, taking care of your genitals and talking about it by using explicit terms such as vagina, vulva, etc helps you build a healthy relationship with your body and smash the taboo around sexual health.

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