What is PCOD?

Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) is when a woman’s ovaries release either partially mature or immature eggs during menstruation. These eggs may eventually turn into cysts leading the ovaries to enlarge in size. With PCOD, your body may also secrete increased amounts of Androgens - male hormones; this is one of the main reasons many women with PCOD suffer from menstruation and fertility issues.

PCOD v/s PCOS

Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) produce higher androgen levels than usual; this would lead to interference with the ovaries releasing the eggs. Some of these eggs may become cysts instead of being released during ovulation.

We notice that people often confuse PCOD and PCOS since both are ovary-related issues and both have similar early symptoms. Our aim through this article is to shed some light on the issues so that you are well aware of what your body is going through.

• Differences
  • PCOD is an endocrine disorder while PCOS is a developed due to hormonal imbalance.
  • While almost 1/3rd of women among the global population suffer from PCOD, PCOS is much bleaker in numbers.
  • In over 80% of women with PCOD, child conception isn’t an obstacle. Most women with PCOD are able to conceive and experience a smooth pregnancy with little medical aid. However, since PCOS is caused due to hormonal irregularities, it is difficult for many women to attain pregnancy.

• Similarities
  • The chances of developing Diabetes(especially during pregnancy) are higher in women with either PCOD or PCOS due to the insulin resistance in their bodies.
  • Both PCOD and PCOS increase blood pressure which may lead to heart diseases.
  • Due to hormonal imbalances, depression is a common issue among women with PCOD or PCOS. 

PCOD/PCOS Symptoms

• Obesity - You may notice that your weight increases though you lead a healthy lifestyle. It might be difficult to zero in or make sense of the reasons for your constant weight issues.
• Irregular or No periods - You may recollect that you’ve been having irregular periods since puberty or may go a long time before you get your period. That time of the month for you will more be like that time in a couple of months’ time.
• Excess Facial Hair - Since women with PCOD release higher levels of androgens, facial/body hair might be an issue that you deal with regularly. 
• Male Pattern Baldness - Again, owing to the androgens, you may notice some bald patches or thinning in your hair
• Body Odor - All the additional hair in the body would contribute tremendously to sweating and body odor. You may want to stock up on cotton dresses.
• Depression / Anxiety / Mood swings - You may feel sad for no reason. A co-worker’s non-stop chatting making you irritated? The hormonal imbalance will also cause fluctuations in how you feel. 
• Endometrial Cancer - Lack of menstruation means the lining of the uterus isn’t shed as frequently as other women. This is called Chronic anovulation and could lead to developing cancerous cells over a period of time.
• Fatigue - Feeling overworked or tired at all times? It could be because your body is on overdrive.
• Heavy bleeding during periods - Irregular periods lead to build-up in the uterine wall and this could cause heavy bleeding during the months you do get your periods.

Also Read: Woman's fight against PCOD

Causes of PCOS

We now know that excess production of androgen is one of the main issues with PCOS. Let’s learn more about why your body could be producing increased levels of male hormones.

• Hereditary - Many studies indicate that PCOD/PCOS runs within the family. Likely, many genes contribute to the condition.
• Insulin resistance - Insulin is a hormone your pancreas produces to assist your body in using sugar from foods for energy. When your body cells aren’t able to use insulin efficiently, the body demands more insulin. This leads to the pancreas creating more insulin to compensate. Extra insulin, in turn, triggers your ovaries to produce more male hormones.
• Inflammation - Women with higher androgen levels often have increased levels of inflammation in their bodies. Weight issues could also contribute to inflammation. 

Healclinic is proud to be armed with healers that are pioneers in their field of healing and are able to help women fight their PCOD/PCOS and lead a healthy and fulfilled life. Connect with our healers to learn more about how we can help you.

Women physiology is curiously complex. This is because it is dynamic and changes with different phases of her life. Women have to undergo physiological stresses in addition to environmental ones affecting men and women and all other creatures. Certain conditions like menstruation, pregnancy, abortions or menopause all are instances of physiological stresses as they put more pressure on her energy demands, calorie intake, vital readings, micro nutrient uptake etc.

We have options wherein we don’t have to live with the issues which we deem to have become a normal part of our monthly cycles. In Fact  reiki for irregular periods can help women to deal with monthly changes they go through.

Menstruation which heralds the fertile life of a female, is to be dealt carefully. Many teenage girls experience psychological and physical problems during menstrual beginning. This is a  new phase and in this phase the girl may feel discomfort with the engorgement of breasts, pain in the breasts and lower back, puffiness of face and hot flashes.

This is a new feeling and hence lays psychological stress on her mind. Some girls also experience premenstrual syndrome which presents symptomatically as rise in temperature, fullness in breasts and pain over the nipple and areola, puffiness of face and pimples, swelling in the legs, pain in the lower back, calf and inguinal regions, craving for chocolates, spicy food, headaches, constipation, acute episodes of depression and so on.

Also Read: How Reiki helped with emotional healing post hysterectomy?

Experiencing all of these symptoms or any one or in sets, at the onset of monthly periods is mentally taxing and physically exhausting as well. Many students and teenagers complain of irregularities in their monthly cycle. Usually this cycle is of 24-28 days but it's very rare that all women experience monthly periods at exactly a months’ period or completion of 28 days. The cycle varies with individual women and also the symptoms are subjective depending on the physiology and hormonal balance.

The girl with menstrual irregularities may face a variety of symptoms like excessive body hair growth, androgenic features, pimples, stunted uterine development, improper growth of secondary sexual characters. All these may at later stage lead to infertility, PCOS, thyroid and other hormonal disorders. In addition this may harm the self image of the female itself, which is depressive.

Reiki for irregular periods, as a healing therapy has proved to be a successful treatment by itself,  as well as when integrated with other  therapies. Clinically menstrual irregularities are amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, menorrhagia, which are no bleeding, scanty flow and excessive flow respectively. As a Reiki healer, we need to recognise the cause and form of irregularity and channelize the energy in the problem area.

We once had a teenage client  who suffered from oligomenorrhea, scanty blood flow since her menstruation. Also she used to get her periods once in 2 or 3 months and had visited a couple of doctors.  Her mother was a staunch follower of Indian systems of medicine and was reluctant to undergo any form of allopathic remedy. On examining the girl the reiki healer could see that she had associated secondary problems of excessive hairiness and improper breast growth too. She started with daily sessions of reiki for an irregular period of an hour each for a month and told the mother to review her  menstrual cycle. Along with reiki for menstrual cramps she was also  suggested certain naturopathic food restrictions and dietary changes.

Also Read: How Yoga Helped in PCOS?

After 15 days when the girl had her 20 days of the cycle completed she was started with oil massage and fomentations over the lower abdominal region  The result being she got her periods on the 31st day and later we  reduced her reiki sittings for period pains to ¾ hour and gradually tapered the reiki and naturopathic remedies by the end of the 3 months period. However, we continued to give distant reiki healing for women to the girl on the request of the mother every month from her 21st day until she got her periods for the next 6 months until she regularly got her periods. During this phase we could evidently see the difference in her breast size as well and by the end of 6 months her facial hair had also considerably reduced.

The stimulation of the pituitary gland by channelizing reiki energy and in turn flow of vital energy to the parts of the uterus help in solving menstrual abnormalities of amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. However the duration and frequency of the reiki sittings for irregular periods depends on individual conditions.

Check our integrated plans specifically designed for PCOD

Need help with PCOS/PCOD, talk to our counselor and decide which therapy best works for you.