Every woman with PCOS has a different story. Let’s replace stereotypes with understanding, and silence with support.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complicated health issue that affects millions of women around the world. Even though it affects a lot of women, it is still one of the most underdiagnosed and wrongly diagnosed health problems in women.
It’s easy for people with PCOS to get confused because the signs can show up in different ways. This is also true for healthcare professionals. This wrong diagnosis can make care take longer, raise the risk of more problems, and make the person feel worse.
A disorder with many symptoms and variations
One big reason PCOS is often misunderstood is that it can look different in different people. There isn’t a single sign or test that can definitely tell what the disease is. A lot of different signs can show up in people with PCOS, such as periods that are irregular or don’t come at all, acne, weight gain, thinning hair, and trouble getting pregnant. However, not everyone has all of these symptoms, and the severity of symptoms can change a lot.
Even if a woman has normal periods, she may still have hormonal imbalances caused by PCOS.
Others might not show the usual signs on the outside, like acne or hair growth. Because of this, two people with PCOS can have very different symptoms, which makes it hard to come up with a normal way to diagnose the condition.
This usually leads to either a late diagnosis or a wrong diagnosis for conditions like endometriosis, thyroid problems, or even problems with lifestyles like stress or bad nutrition.
Healthcare providers are not aware of the problem
The lack of information and training among doctors is one of the main problems with diagnosing PCOS. A lot of family doctors might not understand PCOS well or might not think of it as a diagnosis when the symptoms don’t fit the “classic” books’ descriptions.
Especially in younger women and teens, signs like acne or periods that don’t come on time are often written off as normal hormonal changes or teenage worries.
People also tend to focus on the signs of PCOS instead of the bigger hormonal and endocrine picture because it can happen along with other health problems like metabolic syndrome and diabetes.
Without a comprehensive approach, doctors might treat acne with skin care products, give birth control to women whose periods aren’t regular, or tell people to lose weight without looking into the hormonal imbalance that’s causing it.
What Diagnostic Criteria Can’t Do
The present criteria for diagnosing PCOS also lead to wrong diagnoses. Most of the time, the Rotterdam Criteria say that two of the three following signs are needed to make a diagnosis: irregular ovulation, high amounts of androgens, or polycystic ovaries that can be seen on ultrasound.
It is helpful to have this structure, but it is not foolproof. Some women with PCOS don’t have cysts in their ovaries that can be seen, and others may have cystic ovaries but no other signs.
Also, relying on scan results alone can be wrong. Women who don’t have PCOS can have ovaries that look like they have a lot of cysts, especially younger women. In the same way, changes in hormones can happen for other reasons, which can lead to false positives or wrong beliefs.
Also, the guidelines don’t look at insulin resistance and inflammation, which are becoming more and more known as important parts of PCOS but aren’t usually used to diagnose it.
Effects of Being Fat and Cultural Biases
It’s harder to tell if someone has PCOS if they are overweight. Women who are thinner and show signs of the disease may be ignored or written off because the disease is usually linked to being overweight or fat. This idea can keep a lot of thin women with PCOS from being found because they don’t fit the standard mould.
It’s even worse when people are prejudiced because of their race or background. People of different races may have different symptoms, and people with darker skin or hair growth patterns may see these symptoms in different ways.
Some people have trouble getting health care , which makes it more likely that women of colour will have trouble getting the right care and review.
How to Get a Better Diagnose and Raise Awareness
Getting rid of the wrong diagnosis of PCOS needs more than one method. First, it’s important to make healthcare professionals more aware of the wide range of symptoms and appearances. The different types of PCOS should be emphasised more in medical training, and doctors should be encouraged to treat each patient as an individual.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome isn’t just a problem with reproduction; it’s a chemical disorder that lasts a person’s whole life and needs caring, well-informed, and personalised care. Cutting down on wrong diagnoses is important for more than just medical accuracy.
It’s also important to validate the experiences of millions of women who deserve to be heard, understood, and handled correctly.
