In previous blogs, we have discussed PCOS in India with relevant statistics which shows almost every one in five women suffers from its menace. Nationwide surveys have been conducted by various organizations and institutions to understand the frequency of the condition across various regions. The results are not happy and show a significant rise in the past few decades. Does this raise certain questions in the mind such as why PCOS is on the rise in India? What are the factors that we are not able to gauge? Is it just a lack of treatment or even awareness? To understand this better here we are trying to unfold the hidden reasons which could be contributing to the rise in PCOS.

Wide range of symptoms: PCOS is a multifactorial metabolic condition. In this, a number of factors play a role in giving rise to a wide range of symptoms. Whether it is excessive weight gain, hirsutism, irregular menses, insulin resistance, or as simple as acne, you can find diverse symptoms among females. This often makes the diagnoses a little critical until they seem to be very severe, as most of these symptoms can be found even in normal females.

Lack of awareness: Another factor contributing to the rise of PCOS in India is the lack of awareness among females of childbearing age. As discussed, the symptoms of the conditions are so common that they are often overlooked until they become severe. Moreover, there is a lack of proper outreach to common people to create PCOS awareness. Though in recent times with the help of social media the outreach and understanding are rising, there still exist females unaware of the perils of this condition. Conducting conferences, workshops by doctors, events, and outreach to local areas is crucial to increase the awareness among common people to subside the perils of PCOS.

Poor understanding of the disorder: Though PCOS was for the first time identified in the late 19th century, a thorough understanding of the condition is still lacking. Many types of research have been going around the world indicating the multifactorial metabolic conditions leading to PCOS. However, efforts for finding the cure for the same are still undergoing. In recent times, solutions like focusing on lifestyle management, healthy eating habits, and regular exercise are suggested to defeat the disorder and there have been many positive outcomes of these healthy changes. But still, there exists a gap for effective medicines or therapy-based treatments for PCOS.

Environmental factors: One of the major reasons for developing the PCOS condition is exposure to poor environmental conditions. These include exposure to artificial hormones in food products, other artificial chemicals, rising pollution, and unhealthy substance influencing internal metabolic pathways. In many genetic tests conducted for understanding the predisposition to PCOS, genes related to the detoxification process and those influenced by environmental factors have been found affected (mutated). This highlights the correlation of external factors with our genes in giving rise to PCOS condition. Considering the situation in India the additives, artificial hormones, and more are widely used to increase production or give a distinct flavor to the food items. This has been increasing day by day to meet the need of the rising population. Though efforts have been made by government organizations by limiting the use of these substances in food, the situation still remains worrisome.

If you look at the data highlighting PCOS stats in our previous blog ‘PCOS in India’, you can very well understand the severity of the situation. To overcome this menace it is very important to create due awareness among females. In light of this, we at GENESUPPORT have launched the PCOS Awareness Campaign and PCOS Support Program wherein you can consult the counselor to get an effective solution. Whether it is you, your family member or friends, join us in this campaign by consulting our counselors to understand the condition better and getting answers to your queries from the experts. You can even seek diet and exercise based comprehensive guidelines to meet your goal of overcoming PCOS. So what are you waiting for? Let’s work together, to fight it together!