ITV This Morning doctor warns women of little-known condition that delays period

This Morning is informing radical to cheque if they could person PCOS, besides known arsenic Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

A doc has warned women connected TV that they whitethorn person a communal information and not adjacent cognize it. Dr Nitu Bajeka - a advisor gynaecologist - told viewers connected This Morning that they should spot a GP if they recognise definite symptoms.

The information is small known but affects many. She said: "PCOS oregon polycystic implicit syndrome is the astir communal hormonal upset to impact women."

She said that "at slightest 1 and 10 women endure from it, astir apt galore much person it - successful fact, anybody who’s listening present volition cognize idiosyncratic with the condition. Getting a diagnosis isn't arsenic elemental arsenic taking a humor trial either - with the wellness adept revealing that, sadly, you whitethorn ne'er get a diagnosis.

When asked astir the origin of PCOS, Dr Bajeka said determination is nary known mentation but it does tally successful families. According to the NHS: "It's related to abnormal hormone levels successful the body, including precocious levels of insulin.

"Insulin is simply a hormone that controls sweetener levels successful the body. Many women with PCOS are resistant to the enactment of insulin successful their assemblage and nutrient higher levels of insulin to flooded this. This contributes to the accrued accumulation and enactment of hormones similar testosterone. Being overweight oregon obese besides increases the magnitude of insulin your assemblage produces."

What are the symptoms of PCOS?

Dr Bajeka said: "The astir classical grounds of people is delayed periods - truthful agelong cycles without periods. So anyone who doesn’t person cycles wrong 24 to 35 days oregon who is having, regularly, 40 to 45 days periods, oregon are coming erstwhile successful 3 months - that’s a large indicator. But PCOS is simply a diagnosis of exclusion which means you bash person to regularisation retired different conditions."

Other signs and symptoms of PCOS, which often go evident during your precocious teens oregon aboriginal 20s include:

• difficulty getting large arsenic a effect of irregular ovulation oregon nary ovulation
  
• excessive hairsbreadth maturation (hirsutism) – usually connected the face, chest, backmost oregon buttocks
• weight gain
• thinning hairsbreadth and hairsbreadth nonaccomplishment from the head
• oily tegument oregon acne

PCOS is besides associated with an accrued hazard of processing wellness problems successful aboriginal life, specified arsenic benignant 2 diabetes and precocious cholesterin levels.

How are you diagnosed with PCOS and what are the criteria?

A diagnosis of PCOS tin usually beryllium made if different uncommon causes of the aforesaid symptoms person been ruled retired and you conscionable astatine slightest 2 of the pursuing 3 criteria:

• you person irregular periods oregon infrequent periods – this indicates that your ovaries bash not regularly merchandise eggs (ovulate)
• blood tests showing you person precocious levels of "male hormones", specified arsenic testosterone (or sometimes conscionable the signs of excess antheral hormones, adjacent if the humor trial is normal)
• scans showing you person polycystic ovaries

The NHS state: "As lone 2 of these request to beryllium contiguous to diagnose PCOS, you volition not needfully request to person an ultrasound scan earlier the information tin beryllium confirmed". For further help, sojourn the NHS website here.