PCOS Review Newsletter #133

A free health newsletter for women with polycystic ovary syndrome or polycystic ovaries.   Issue #133      May 29, 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) Vitamin D Helps Normalize Cycles in PCOS

2) Your Father Has Increased Heart Risk

3) What Happens to You after Menopause?

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1) Vitamin D Helps Normalize Cycles in PCOS

Are you looking for a way to get back to a normal monthly cycle?

Vitamin D is a vital nutrient that can help you to do that, according to research from the Medical University of Graz in Austria.

The researchers gave 57 women with polycystic ovarian syndrome 20,000 IU of vitamin D per week for 24 weeks.

At the end of 24 weeks, 50% of the women who lacked normal menstruation reported an improvement in their cycle.

In addition, their blood sugar levels and insulin function were both improved.

We continue to see disturbing reports of vitamin D deficiencies among those who have polycystic ovarian disease. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased body weight, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and multiple hormone imbalances.

It's critical that you have an adequate vitamin D level. Ask your doctor for a vitamin D test.

A good amount of vitamin D can be found in the d-pinitol formula.

Sources:
Wehr E et al, Effect of vitamin D3 treatment on glucose metabolism and menstrual frequency in PCOS women-a pilot study, J Endocrinol Invest. 2011 May 24. [Epub ahead of print]
Li HW et al, Vitamin D deficiency is common and associated with metabolic risk factors in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome, Metabolism. 2011 May 5. [Epub ahead of print]

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2) Your Father Has Increased Heart Risk

Fathers of daughters with PCOS have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to new research from Penn State University College of Medicine.

A survey of 410 PCOS families showed that fathers had a higher incidence of heart attack and stroke than fathers in the general population.

Fortunately, mothers did not show an increased risk.

In a previous newsletter, we reported a study showing that brothers of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome had increased insulin resistance and other metabolic problems similar to the women.

If you're a mother, it's especially important that you look after the health of your spouse and your son.

If you're a daughter, be aware that your brother and father have an increased risk of developing heart disease or a metabolic disorder such as diabetes. Perhaps you can encourage them to improve their health practices.

The entire family needs to focus on a higher quality diet, increased exercise and reduction of chronic stress. PCOS is not just your problem. It is a problem for everyone in the family. Do what you can to help your family get healthier and prevent future disease.

Sourcs:
Taylor MC et al, Evidence for increased cardiovascular events in the fathers but not mothers of women with polycystic ovary syndrome, Hum Reprod. 2011 Apr 19. [Epub ahead of print]
Baillargeon JP et al, Brothers of women with polycystic ovary syndrome are characterised by impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity and related metabolic defects, Diabetologia. 2007 Dec;50(12):2424-32

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3) What Happens to You after Menopause?

Does polycystic ovary syndrome magically disappear when you reach menopause? Can you just forget all about it and live a healthy, happy life for the rest of your days?

Recent evidence is showing that even though some of the outward manifestations of PCOS are gone, the underlying problems remain.

The University of Gothenburg in Sweden recently reported that P C O S women who reached menopause still had an abnormally high lab value for male hormones, and had more hirsutism (excessive hair growth) than other menopausal women.

In another recent study, Oulu University Hospital in Finland compared groups of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. One group had polycystic ovarian syndrome, the other group did not.

Compared to the normal group, both the pre- and post-menopausal PCOS women had impaired blood sugar metabolism, increased male hormone production, and chronic inflammation.

These medical studies are a cautionary sign.

It's a mistake to assume that you're "in the clear" just because you have reached menopause. The underlying causes of polycystic ovary syndrome are still at play.

So, if you're to reduce to risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other disagreeable outcomes, you'll want to continue your good health practices indefinitely.

Sources:
Schmidt J et al, Reproductive Hormone Levels and Anthropometry in Postmenopausal Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A 21-Year Follow-Up Study of Women Diagnosed with PCOS around 50 Years Ago and Their Age-Matched Controls, J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Apr 20. [Epub ahead of print]
Puurunen J et al, Unfavorable Hormonal, Metabolic, and Inflammatory Alterations Persist after Menopause in Women with PCOS, J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Jun;96(6):1827-34

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"We shrink from change, yet is there anything that can come into being without it?." -- Marcus Aurelius

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d-Pinitol
may be relevant to PCOS