Boils Symptoms
Does Polysystic Ovarian Sysdrome (PCOS) causes boils?
I have been diagnose with PCOS. I have boils coming up on my skin also so I’m wondering if the boils is one of the symptoms of PCOS since I have too much insulin in my blood.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder where you have high levels of certain sex hormones and irregular, or no, menstrual periods. You can also have lots of cysts on your ovaries. PCOS is characterised by a number of symptoms, such as excess facial and body hair, acne, obesity and infertility. About one in 10 women in the UK develops the condition.
Polycystic means ‘many cysts’ and gives the condition its name.
Women have two ovaries, which are small organs inside the body where the egg cells are produced and stored. The ovaries also produce the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
A cyst is a fluid-filled sac. When you release an ovum (egg) into the uterus (womb) you ‘ovulate’. This happens once a month. Before the egg is released, it develops in a small swelling on the ovary called a follicle.
The follicles can sometimes stop growing too early. Instead of bursting to release the egg, they gradually build up on the ovaries to form lots of small cysts. These cysts are swollen egg chambers. These kind of cysts are not cancer.
A polycystic ovary is one with lots of cysts on its surface. There are usually 12 or more cysts that are 2-9mm in size. Sometimes only one ovary is affected.
PCOS is a syndrome that can affect your menstrual cycle, fertility, hormones, insulin production, heart, blood vessels and appearance. Women with PCOS have these characteristics:
high levels of a hormone called luteinising hormone (LH), produced by the pituitary gland (in the brain) and testosterone, the male hormone produced by the ovaries
an irregular or no menstrual cycle
many small cysts on the ovaries although these are not always present
For most women, polycystic ovaries don’t cause any problems. But if you have polycystic ovaries along with high levels of hormones such as luteinising hormone and testosterone, and irregular, or no, menstrual periods you are likely to have PCOS.
It is also possible to have PCOS but not have polycystic ovaries and a doctor can diagnose the condition just on you having certain symptoms. The syndrome in this case is influenced purely by the hormone imbalance and is not related to the ovaries.
Most women with PCOS start to notice problems in their late teens or 20s. A range of symptoms is possible, but you are likely to have one or more of the following:
absent, infrequent or irregular periods due to the imbalance of hormones
infertility as you need to ovulate to become pregnant and some women with PCOS do not ovulate regularly or at all
obesity or weight gain
excess hair (hirsutism) – if you produce too much testosterone – which can develop in places such as the face, chest and tummy
alopecia (thinning hair) particularly at the top of your head and on your temples if you produce too much testosterone
acne which lasts longer than normal teenage years, again if you produce too much testosterone
The precise cause of PCOS is still not known. Several factors seem to be important.
Your genetic profile is important as PCOS can run in some families.
Levels of luteinising hormone and testosterone are important as these are often higher than normal in women with PCOS.
The way your body responds to insulin, the hormone that controls your blood sugar level may be involved. Insulin acts mainly on fat and muscle cells to make them take in sugar when your blood sugar level rises. Lots of women with PCOS have insulin resistance. This means the level of insulin in the blood needs to be higher than normal to control the blood sugar level. The high level of insulin causes the ovaries to make too much testosterone, which results in the symptoms like excess hair and acne.
Your body weight can also contribute to the cause of PCOS. Excess fat can make insulin resistance worse and can increase your insulin level. However, a symptom of having PCOS-related insulin resistance is weight gain due to the high levels of insulin. Whether it’s insulin resistance that causes weight gain, or weight gain that causes insulin resistance, is not fully understood at present.
If your GP suspects that you have PCOS, they may refer you to a hospital specialist in endocrinology (medicine relating to hormones) or a gynaecologist (a specialist in women’s reproductive systems and hormones).
There are tests that your specialist can do to confirm if you have PCOS:
blood tests measure the levels of certain hormones such as testosterone and luteinising hormone
an ultrasound scan can look at the ovaries to see if they appear enlarged and/or polycystic
Lifestyle changes may help to control the symptoms of PCOS. Losing any excess weight, in particular, can improve several PCOS symptoms, including infertility.
If you have excess hair, you can control this with hair removing creams or by bleaching, shaving, waxing or plucking. Laser treatment and electrolysis can give longer lasting results but need to be performed by qualified professionals.
Several medicines can help deal with individual symptoms of PCOS.
Topical (applied to the skin) treatments can be used to treat acne. Benzoyl peroxide is available in popular non-prescription acne remedies (eg Oxy lotion).
Antibiotic tablets are available on prescription to help you control acne if the creams and lotions have not worked for you.
Isotretinoin (eg Roaccutane) is also available on prescription to help you to control acne. You should not take isotretinoin if you are pregnant however, as it is very dangerous to an unborn baby. For further information on acne treatments, see the separate BUPA factsheet, Acne.
Oral contraceptives (the pill) can reduce acne and excess hair as they will lower your ovaries’ production of testosterone. The pill also makes periods more regular which lowers the risk of womb cancer. A combination of the usual pill hormone called ethinylestradiol with cyproterone acetate (eg Dianette) suppresses male hormone activity so is often used for women with PCOS. This is available with a prescription from your GP.
Treating infertility
If you have PCOS and are having difficulty getting pregnant there are several treatments to consider. You should see an infertility specialist to discuss which is best for you.
Fertility drugs such as clomifene will stimulate your ovaries to release eggs. Up to 60 percent of women become pregnant after six cycles of treatment with clomifene so it is often used.
Hormone injections with human gonadotrophin hormone (a mixture of luteinising hormone and follicle stimulating hormone) may be offered to you if clomiphene has not worked for you.
Metformin is a medicine that reduces insulin resistance and may improve fertility (as well as reduce excess hair). It is usually given along with clomifene to overweight women with PCOS. At the moment, metformin is only approved by the UK government for the treatment of diabetes, so discuss this option with your doctor.
Keyhole surgery can be performed to make tiny holes in the surface of your ovary to stimulate the ovary. This is known as laparoscopic ovarian diathermy. It appears to be as effective as hormone injections.
IVF or assisted conception is another avenue to explore. You could also consider other forms of assisted conception such as egg donation or surrogacy.
Long-term impact on health
Women with PCOS tend to have a higher risk of developing diabetes and a high cholesterol level later in life. It also increases your risk of having a stroke and developing womb cancer.
A healthy lifestyle is important to help prevent the condition leading to these long-term health problems. For example you should:
not smoke
do regular physical activity
eat a healthy well balanced diet
Have a look at this link for further info…
www.verity-pcos.org.uk
Hope this helps.
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