What Causes PCOS?

It is September which means that it is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness Month!  I am hoping to bring more awareness to this syndrome and help educate you along the way.  I am not a doctor or a nutritionist.  I am a woman who was diagnosed early in life and has been learning about my diagnosis ever since.  If you have specific questions, you can, of course, ask them, and I will do my best to answer.  However, I would encourage you to take them to your doctor as well.

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Now that we know what Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is usually the next question is what causes it?  That is also a good question and one that I don't have an answer for.  Why?  Because no one really knows what causes it.  The syndrome is a mystery in a way.  There are several ideas on the cause of PCOS, which I will share with you.

It could possibly be hereditary.  I have heard that it comes from the father's side of the family, but I've also heard that it comes from the mother's side of the family.  It may be likely that you have a mom or sister who also has PCOS.  I have neither.  In my search for the answer to this question, I've come up with no real answers.  There may have been some signs of PCOS among my father's side since my dad and my uncle are 10 months apart.  They were supposed to be 11 months apart, but Dad came a month early. ;)  There are also some more definite signs along my mother's side.  It really is a mystery, and I'm not sure I will ever find out the answer to my own family history.

There could be a possibility that insulin plays a larger role in the cause than we know.  Some women with PCOS make too much insulin, which helps regulate the intake of sugar, starches, and other food into energy for the body.  Could the cause of PCOS be that if the body makes too much insulin, then the ovaries react and make too many male hormones (androgens)?

Could the possibility be that women with PCOS have chronic inflammation in their bodies and that is the cause of PCOS?

These are all speculation at this point.  I have not found a definitive answer, and I have come to accept the fact that we may never know the cause of it.  Ultimately, we live in a broken world where things like PCOS and sickness and cancer are present.  Although we may want answers, we may not get them this side of heaven.  In my opinion, part of having this diagnosis is having to accept that we may never get the answers we want.

So the question remains...what causes PCOS?  I think there are several factors in determining this, but there isn't a straight answer.

If you know someone who could benefit from reading this blog, by all means, share it!  After all, sharing is caring and greatly appreciated!