The article explores “PCOD: Prevalence, Awareness, Do’s, and the Role of Physiotherapy”.
The hormonal disorder known as Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) functions under the alternative name Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) to affect numerous female bodies worldwide who are active reproductive agents. Despite its prevalence, awareness about its causes, symptoms, and non-pharmacological management—including the role of physiotherapy—remains limited. The blog provides explanations about PCOD by addressing false notions then introducing crucial lifestyle practices before identifying how physiotherapy serves as an essential management tool for treating this condition.
Understanding PCOD: What Is It?
PDF causes abnormal maturation of many eggs from female ovaries. Time allows immature ovarian eggs to develop into ovarian cysts that result in enlarged ovaries and numerous hormonal system disturbances.
Common symptoms include:
• Irregular or missed menstrual periods
• Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
• Acne or oily skin
• Excess hair growth (hirsutism)
• Hair thinning or hair loss
• Infertility
• Mood swings or depression
PCOD proves challenging to detect because its symptoms exist in various degrees and do not always occur at the same time without medical intervention.
PCOD Prevalence: A Global and Local View
The global prevalence of PCOD stands at 1 in 10 women although healthcare professionals believe this number could be higher as patients often fail to report their symptoms while others receive incorrect medical diagnoses. The number of young Indian women affected by PCOD has been increasing significantly because urban population studies reveal statistics spanning from 10% to 20% prevalence.
Several factors have led the increase in PCOD rates.
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Poor dietary habits
• Rising stress levels
• Lack of physical activity
• Hormonal disruptions due to environmental factors
PCOD demonstrates significant concern because beyond reproductive implications it directly links to diabetes and the development of heart disease and metabolic syndrome.
Raising Awareness: Why It Matters
The main difficulty in PCOD diagnosis occurs because people often overlook its symptoms properly. Young women typically dignify their irregular menstruation and acne breakouts as regular occurrences and medical practitioners usually only establish the condition when the symptoms reach significant intensities.
The initial part of facing this condition starts with increased awareness. Campaigns that focus on education together with school programs as well as community health initiatives will:
• Encourage early diagnosis
• Promote healthy lifestyle habits
Public education initiatives should work to eliminate female health issue stigmatization. • Provide accurate, science-backed information
Knowledge empowerment grants women both the control and capability to get prompt medical care for their health needs.
The “Do’s” for Managing PCOD
PCOD maintains an irreparable condition without cure yet healthcare professionals and lifestyle adjustments and holistic practices can effectively control its symptoms. Here are some essential “do’s”:
1. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Obesity aggravates insulin resistance and hormonal imbalances. When people lose only a small percentage of their body weight between 5–10% symptoms will significantly improve.
2. Eat Balanced, Low-Glycemic Meals
A diet that contains fiber together with lean protein and healthy fats should be your focus for nutrition. You should limit your consumption of refined sugars, junk food along with all processed carbohydrates.
3. Exercise Regularly
Schedule physical workouts for 30–45 minutes during most days throughout the week. Swimming or following yoga routines and walking briskly together with strength exercises help control insulin release and manage stress.
4. Manage Stress
Cyclic stress affects your hormone balance so that your symptoms deteriorate. The practices of meditation along with breathing exercises combined with social interactions and having emotional hobbies all lead to enhanced mental health.
5. Get Quality Sleep
The insufficient quality of your sleep affects both insulin production and cortisol hormone release. People should try to sleep continuously between seven and nine hours each night.
6. Track Your Cycles
Apps along with journals serve as tools to track your menstrual cycle and symptoms together with emotional variations. The identification of treatment irregularities happens more quickly when this system is used thereby guiding medical interventions.
The Role of Physiotherapy in PCOD Management
Although PCOD management frequently passes by physiotherapy treatment it remains essential for helping people overcome PCOD’s physical symptoms along with hormonal disturbances. Here’s how:
1. Customized Exercise Programs
The creation of personalized exercise regimens becomes possible through physiotherapist expertise because they use measurements of weight and fitness status together with defined health objectives. The focus is on improving:
• Insulin sensitivity
• Cardiovascular endurance
• Muscular strength
• Hormonal balance
Players involved in exercise must do aerobic training while adding resistance programs and strengthening their core muscles.
2. Postural Correction and Pain Relief
Many women with PCOD experience lower back pain, pelvic discomfort, or muscle fatigue due to weight gain and hormonal shifts. Physiotherapy techniques like:
• Manual therapy
• Stretching
• Myofascial release
• TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation)
The treatment of pain through physiotherapy also improves posture as well as facilitates greater mobility.
3. Pelvic Floor Training
PCOD causes pelvic floor muscles to weaken because of hormonal variations as well as changes in body weight. The exercises taught by physiotherapists for pelvic floor muscle strengthening (known as Kegels) serve to do the following:
• Support reproductive organs
• Improve bladder control
• Enhance sexual health
4. Stress and Hormonal Regulation
Physiotherapists combine mind-body techniques with guided breathing and progressive muscle relaxation and they utilize yoga-based therapies for their patient care. The treatment approaches serve to decrease stress hormone levels while managing menstrual patterns as they help enhance emotional functioning.
5. Education and Support
People use their sessions with physiotherapists to acquire knowledge and gain motivational support. Patients acquire practical knowledge about identifying achievable targets alongside proper exercise methods and prevention of unintentional harm. The educational components
of the sessions provide valuable support to patients who have lost hope because of their symptoms.
A Multidisciplinary Approach is Key
The multi-dimensional nature of PCOD needs healthcare teams to provide effective treatment. An effective treatment approach for patients includes work with both physiotherapists and other health professionals.
• Gynecologists for hormonal assessments
• Dietitians for nutritional counseling
• Psychologists or counselors for mental health support
Patients require endocrinologists for insulin resistance or thyroid disorders management.
These experts create together an extensive treatment strategy to handle all dimensions of PCOD.
Final Thoughts: Take Charge, Start Today
PCOD exists as a common problem so you should not give up control of your existence to this condition. Using knowledge combined with changes to your lifestyle and therapeutic
treatments that include physiotherapy allows you to effectively handle your symptoms and maintain a vital healthy existence.
– Dr. Prachi Oza
Assistant Professor, Department of Physiotherapy, Madhav University