PCOS and Obstacles in Pregnancy
PCOS: Impact on Health and Fertility
PCOS: Impact on Health and Fertility These days, PCOS has emerged as one of the most common gynaecological disorders. Reports suggest that more than 20% of women in India suffer from PCOS.
PCOS can cause considerable damage to hormonal balance leading to problems in conceiving. It can block ovaries and stall egg growth and development. PCOS can obstruct ovulation in women. Hormonal imbalance caused by PCOS may also affect endometrial health in women. We have already discussed the impact of these changes on the reproductive health and capability of a woman.
The good news is that fertility issues caused by PCOS are temporary and treatable. Several treatment solutions can help you get pregnant even if you have PCOS.
Fear, Phobias, and Myths About PCOS
“Women with PCOS Can’t Get Pregnant”
PCOS causes several physiological and hormonal changes in the reproductive system that come in the way of fertility. However, reduced fertility caused by PCOS can be easily resolved. Conventional treatment methods usually employ hormonal pills and symptomatic treatment methods to manage this problem. You might feel temporary relief and even get pregnant, but PCOS will stay with you forever.
On the other hand, Ayurveda can cure PCOS from its roots and address the core issues causing PCOS. With the help of Ayurveda, you can get pregnant and also get freedom from other side effects of PCOS forever.
“Your Periods Will Remain A Nightmare”
Most women associate PCOS with an irregular menstrual cycle. Ayurveda understands the underlying factors causing period irregularities in PCOS. It addresses those factors, and most women start getting regular periods only after 3-9 months of starting their treatment, depending on the severity of their PCOS.
“PCOS Is Forever”
PCOS doesn’t have to be a lifelong disease. Although there is no cure for PCOS in conventional medicine and it only tries to treat and manage its symptoms, that’s not the case with Ayurveda. PCOS can be treated or reversed completely with Ayurveda.
Ayurveda offers a well-rounded plan to cure PCOS from its roots. Along with some diet and lifestyle changes, formulations of powerful Ayurvedic herbs can get rid of PCOS forever.
Why Women with PCOS Find it Difficult to Conceive?
PCOS can cause fertility issues by creating hormonal imbalance in the ovaries. As a result, eggs don’t grow or mature fully and there is no ovulation. This compromises chances of conceiving naturally among women with PCOS.
Main Reasons for Fertility Issues with PCOS
Excess Ama: Ama is the metabolic waste or toxin that forms in the body due to indigestion. It is a tar-like substance that can travel through your bloodstream and block various organs. All lifestyle disorders like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are caused by excess Ama in the body. When Ama reaches your ovaries, it obstructs the functioning of the reproductive system, causing PCOS.
Blocked Ovary Channels: Your ovaries are responsible for producing many important reproductive hormones. These hormones regulate your menstrual cycles and egg growth. When Ama blocks the ovary channels, your ovaries cannot produce these hormones. Hence, the whole reproductive cycle gets affected. All the functions ranging from egg growth to ovulation are affected.
Egg Growth: The ovary channels produce hormones that help the eggs grow. When these channels are blocked, it results in a slowdown in egg growth. Smaller eggs are of inferior quality, and when the egg size is small, ovulation doesn’t occur.
Ovulation: This is one of the most important steps in the fertility process. At this stage, the egg is released from the ovaries to fertilise in the fallopian tubes. However, the egg never reaches full maturity due to hormonal imbalances. Hence, it remains trapped in the follicle and doesn’t break. If there is no ovulation, you will not get pregnant because your egg never left your ovaries to get fertilised. Every month regular ovulation is important to increase the chances of getting pregnant.
Egg Quality: This is another very important factor that remains largely ignored. The hormonal imbalance in your ovaries deeply impacts the quality of eggs. Conventional treatment often increases the size of eggs through hormonal boost, but there is no way to improve egg quality through synthetic hormonal additions. If the quality of the egg is poor, you will face difficulties in successful conception despite chemically induced ovulation.
Hormonal Imbalance: This problem is at the root of everything. A hormonal imbalance caused by PCOS leads to egg growth and ovulation issues that cause fertility issues.
Poor Uterine Lining: Hormonal imbalance can also affect the uterine lining. Your hormones are building blocks of the uterine lining. When there is a hormonal imbalance, the uterine lining either varies in thickness or doesn’t have the required nourishment to be receptive enough to support the embryo or even the implantation process.
Conventional Treatment Options Available
Hormonal Treatment
This is the most popular treatment method available in conventional medicine.
In this treatment, first, a full course of synthetic hormones is given to the woman through hormonal pills. It helps in increasing the size of eggs in her ovaries. The doctor keeps checking the growth of the eggs in the ovaries. Once an egg has grown to the desired size, hormonal pills or injections are given to break the follicle and induce ovulation.
This treatment has several side effects; the biggest is compromised egg quality. Poor quality eggs either fail at the conception stage or cannot implant successfully even after conception, resulting in failures in pregnancy.
Ovarian Drilling
PCOS causes stunted growth in eggs. Because these eggs never reach maturity, they don’t break and keep lining up in the inner periphery of the ovaries. Sometimes so many eggs fill up the ovaries that they get clogged. You stop having periods for months and experience severe effects of PCOS.
In such severe cases, conventional medicine uses surgical methods to remove eggs from the ovaries, called ovarian drilling. The eggs keep depositing in the ovaries as cysts. These cysts are broken using a laparoscopic procedure.
A laser or electrocautery is used to break all the eggs on the peripheral lining of the ovaries. It reduces the size of the ovaries drastically. Periods may normalise briefly for a few months, but period delay will start once again after a few months because the actual problems aren’t addressed.
This procedure also causes harm to ovarian tissue. Ovaries are highly sensitive organs. Ovarian drilling doesn’t just remove the eggs, but can also potentially damage healthy tissue. It affects the overall performance of your ovaries. Your egg production may get affected and may even stop completely.
IUI
As we have already discussed, IUI has two parts. The first part involves increasing egg size and inducing ovulation through hormonal treatment. The second part involves placing the sperm directly in the uterus for greater chances of fertilisation.
The second part has no correlation to fertility issues caused by PCOS. In PCOS, the real problem arises due to inadequate egg size and the absence of ovulation. Conventional medicine deals with it through hormonal treatment. IUI has no applicability specifically in PCOS cases.
IVF
At the outset, you must understand that IVF is not very relevant in fertility issues specifically caused by PCOS. In PCOS, the problems are purely hormonal. IVF only worsens the situation by creating huge hormonal pressure in the ovaries.
Can Ayurveda Cure PCOS Induced Fertility Issues?
Yes! Ayurveda can cure PCOS and fertility issues caused by it.
You must never forget that PCOS is a lifestyle disorder and its permanent reversal can only come from positive changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Ayurvedic herbs can help you fight the disorder effectively. Ayurveda has specific herbs that can help your body quickly remove Ama. Once the Ama has been flushed out, vital functions start working smoothly. Herbs can also help in dissolving the cysts in your ovaries. Most importantly, herbs can help in improving your digestion and metabolism. It means you will remain free from this disorder in the future too. From egg growth to endometrial health, these herbs can help you at every step.
Some Important Herbs
Ama Removal: Pippali and Haritaki are two important herbs known for their cleansing impact. Pippali works like magic for women suffering from PCOS. It removes Ama. Haritaki is also a known herbal detoxifier. These herbs don’t just clean the existing Ama but also kickstart your metabolism and improve your digestion. Once digestion improves, further accumulation of Ama stops and the toxicity pressure reduces. This improves your hormonal balance and you feel healthier & livelier.
Support in Egg Growth: Egg growth in women is blocked by the blocked ovarian channels due to excess Ama. While Ama is cleared, herbs like Aloe Vera, Dashamoola, and Krishna Jeeraka can be of great use in supporting egg growth. Aloe vera supports healthy egg growth and also helps in increasing their size naturally. Dashamoola is a combination of 10 herbs that works amazingly in inducing timely ovulation. Krishna Jeeraka is another helpful herb that helps in regularising your periods.
Cyst Dissolution: Ovarian cysts can be of great concern in PCOS. Varuna and Kanchnar are herbs that can help reduce the number of cysts and their size in the ovaries.
Improvement in Uterine Lining: Uterine lining is of great importance after conception. This lining ensures receptivity, successful implantation and embryo survival in the initial stages. Ashoka, Shatavari, Ashwagandha, and Putranjeevak are useful herbs for improving the uterine lining.
Nourishing the Endometrium: Endometrium nourishes the embryo in the initial stages of development. Until the second trimester, the endometrium is the only source of energy and nourishment for the developing embryo. Jeevanti is an amazing herb that can fill the endometrium with nourishment.
The real difference between Ayurveda and conventional treatment methods is the approach.
While conventional treatment always focuses on chemically boosting egg growth and inducing ovulation. On the other hand, Ayurveda addresses the root cause of the problem. First, it rectifies hormonal imbalance causing PCOS and fertility issues. Second, it fortifies egg quality and nourishes the endometrium for healthy growth of the embryo.
With a little help from Ayurvedic herbs and healthy lifestyle and diet changes, you can conceive naturally in PCOS, without the help of hormonal treatments or other assisted fertility programs.
Key Learning
PCOS can pose several problems in the path of natural conception. It causes hormonal imbalance, egg growth and ovulation issues. Additionally, PCOS also affects egg quality and endometrial health. Conventional treatment methods never address these root causes of the problem and only offer symptomatic relief.
Ayurveda understands PCOS deeply and has a systematic approach to resolving the root causes of PCOS. Ayurvedic herbs with a healthy lifestyle and diet can transform your life completely and help you conceive naturally.
