At times, your body can give you subtle hints – perhaps you notice you have an abnormal amount of fatigue lately, evaluate your skin and see that you are breaking out for no reason, or find yourself gaining a couple extra pounds that just won’t go away. These may not feel urgent. You rationalize it was due to stress, maybe it’s due to unreasonable sleep, or maybe it’s just a hormonal phase. But what if something deeper is happening?
For many women, these vague symptoms are just the beginning signs of PCOS symptoms specifically silent PCOS.
Silent PCOS: What Does It Really Mean?
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal syndrome that interferes with the regular functioning of the ovaries. The more recognizable version displays a variety of features such as irregular periods, cysts on ovaries, and other obvious signs such as extra facial hair, whereas silent PCOS behaves quietly. You may have a period as usual. There may be no visible cysts. That is exactly how easy it is to miss. It is possible for you to continue getting your periods as usual. It may be possible for you to have no dynamic cysts at all. And that’s what makes it easy to miss.
Even without the “true” signs, the hormone balances would still be imbalanced and influencing your metabolism, skin, mental health, and fertility.
Subtle Signs to be Aware of
There are many women experiencing “silent” PCOS with symptoms that are often blown off as unrelated issues or irrelevant conditions:
Fatigue: You feel excessively tired, or fatigued despite having perfectly good sleep. Insulin resistance, or low-grade inflammatory process dampens your energy reserves.
Mood swings: You might feel intermittent depression, anxiety, or inexplicably moody or unstable emotions in cycles that correlate with your hormonal imbalances.
Skin changes: you have intermittent breakouts on your jaw line, oily skin that changes with the season or potentially discolored patches around your neck signalling internal hormonal changes.
Hair: You notice your hair tissue is thinning on your scalp, or mild, unwanted hair in places like your chin may be a precursor to symptoms of PCOS.
Weight issues: You notice your weight is gaining along your abdomen and/or you cannot seem to lose weight despite working out regularly. Imbalances in your hormonal signals may promote fat storage and weight gain.
Tighter or heavier periods: You may still be getting your periods; but if they are very light, longer than 28 days, or you notice odd irregular heavy cramps, you may notice some odd hormonal dysfunction happening.
These symptoms, while rare when put together, will not put off any alarms individually; but they may also be the symptoms of PCOS, just not the loud ones.
Besides Noisy, Why Silent Doesn’t Mean Harmless
The most troubling aspect of silent PCOS is that people often overlook it until it leads to more difficult issues. With time, untreated PCOS may lead to:
- Insulin resistance or prediabetes
- Infertility due to ovulation issues
- High cholesterol and heart disease
- Abnormal, thickening of the uterine lining leading to menstrual complications
Although silent PCOS might not interrupt your day to day life for a while, not dealing with it can have serious side effects long-term.
What You Can Do
The best way to manage PCOS, silent or otherwise, is to be proactive and consistent with your care. Here are ways to get started:
Listen to Your Body: Do not dismiss repeated fatigue, skin changes, shifts in internal temperature, or mood. These are not just in your head.
Track Your Menstrual Cycle and Symptoms: One good way is to keep track of the schedule, duration, intensity, and external physical symptoms of your menstrual flow, even if they are regular.
Do a Test: PCOS can be diagnosed or eliminated through a blood test that measures hormone levels and an ultrasound test that examines the ovaries.
Consider Your Lifestyle:
- Eat meals with a wide variety of low-glycemic carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats in order to be fit and trim.
- Move around frequently. Strength training, yoga, and walking are all excellent methods to incorporate routine and physical movement.
- Prioritize your sleep and learn to manage your stress.
Retouching little things may appear as if it is a big load of work. Still, small adjustments done over a period of time can have a significant impact on PCOS and hormonal balance.
Things to Keep in Mind
Silent PCOS has rumblings but is not noisy. Have faith in yourself as well! If you feel that something is a mistake or simply not right, don’t disregard it and do not wait for it to become more serious. Living with that issue will be much easier if you act on it, acquire knowledge, and practice a regular health regimen consistently.
Sometimes the body does not yell, it whispers. And learning to listen to these whispers may be your biggest asset.