Is there a connection between insulin and polycystic ovary syndrome?

Insulin is the only hormone that controls blood sugar and is very important for the health of the body. Whether the insulin level is too low or too high, it will have adverse effects on the health of the body. For example, high insulin levels often lead to gynecological diseases in women, easily cause ovarian cysts, and easily cause symptoms of infertility. Therefore, insulin and women’s health are closely related. Insulin and polycystic ovary cysts also have a relatively important relationship.

Why are young women with abnormal menstruation more susceptible to type 2 diabetes?

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common disease in women from adolescence to childbearing period with hyperandrogenism and anovulation, accounting for 30% of patients with amenorrhea, about 90% of patients with oligomenorrhea, and about 90% of anovulatory infertility.

Studies have shown that the risk of non-fatal and fatal coronary heart disease in women with abnormal menstruation (after adjusting for age) is 1.5 and 1.9, respectively. Studies have suggested that irregular menstruation can serve as a marker for metabolic abnormalities (insulin resistance, abnormal glucose metabolism) and can indicate an increased risk of coronary heart disease in the future. Therefore, PCOS screening should be performed routinely in young patients with type 2 diabetes.

Secondly, is there a relationship between PCOS and the onset of type 2 diabetes?

Polycystic ovary syndrome not only affects fertility, but also causes related manifestations of metabolic syndrome, such as hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, and significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer.

PCOS patients have a 10-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes during adolescence, and 30-50% of obese PCOS patients will develop impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes before the age of 30. PCOS patients must receive sufficient attention from endocrinologists and the patients themselves. Early detection, early diagnosis, improvement of lifestyle, and comprehensive drug treatment are very important for improving patients' quality of life, reducing the incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and reducing the incidence of endometrial cancer.

Can PCOS be cured?

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a disease that lasts throughout a woman's life and is not limited to her childbearing age. From the fetal period (intrauterine hyperandrogenism and malnutrition), childhood (premature adrenal function), adolescence, childbearing age (infertility, endometrial disease, menstrual disorders), and middle-aged and elderly (diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Looking at PCOS as a whole, it involves many fields such as perinatal medicine, pediatrics, gynecological endocrinology and reproductive medicine, endocrine and metabolic diseases (glycolipid metabolism, nutrition, fat endocrinology), cardiovascular system, etc.

Therefore, PCOS has become one of the most complex and difficult diseases in the field of gynecology and endocrinology. So far, PCOS can only be alleviated through treatment, but cannot be cured. Strengthen publicity and popularize knowledge; adopt individualized prevention and treatment strategies and follow-up plans; regularly follow up blood sugar, insulin, blood lipids, blood pressure and sex hormone levels for PCOS patients who have already developed metabolic abnormalities; long-term monitoring of reproductive and metabolic abnormalities is very important.