Page 6 - February 2020 Issue Forensic PDF

India Has A PCOD Problem – 5 Women Share Their Stories

“There’s much more pres- me of the opposite end rates of anxiety and de-
sure in schools and jobs, of the spectrum– exces- pression than the general P
so the hormonal balance sive bleeding. Ayesha says population. Researches C

between the hypothala- her period comes “24/7, at Cardiff University’s O
mus, pituitary, and ovarian 365 days a year,” unless Neuroscience and Men- S

hormones gets altered.” she takes medications to tal Health Research In-
Nayanika Mukherjee, a stop it. She describes de- stitute also found that A
20-year-old student from bilitating cramps, soaking women with PCOS were W

Kolkata, echoes a similar through six or seven pads most likely to suffer from A
concern. She reports ex- a day, low blood pres- mental illnesses like de- R

treme lethargy and fatigue sure, and fainting spells. pression and anxiety. The E
accompanying PCOS Whether irregular or ex- women interviewed in this N
because of the strenuous cessive, menstrual cycles story unfortunately con- E

demands of college life. are even known to disrupt cur. S
Dr. Coelho explains PCOS moods, and Ayesha expe- S

as a stress-induced hor- riences increased anxiety Rujvi Mehta, a 22-year-
monal imbalance that and anger while menstru- old law student from Gu- 2
results in estrogen being ating. “It’s terrible. I hate jarat takes me through 0

poured into body fat not feeling that way. People how excessive hair growth 2
the bloodstream, where who love me understand, on her chin, cheeks, stom- 0

it’s needed to trigger the but it’s difficult because ach, and back that im-
rupturing of eggs. Eggs moodiness hinders my pacted her self-esteem and
ripen during ovulation, but professional relation- made her anxious to visit

don’t rupture, becoming ships,” she says. Nayanika salons for hair removal.
cysts, she says. PCOS also also tells me of her experi- “Chin hair becomes hard.

includes Insulin resistance ences with mood swings, So it was very embarrass-
and a production of male sudden emotionality, and ing,” she says. Nairika
hormones like testoster- irritation that she later contextualizes her poor

one. realizes is a symptom of mental health with years
PCOS. of body shaming and bul-

It’s common for women lying from her peers in
with PCOS to report irreg- A 2018 report by the In- school who singled her
ular menstrual cycles, but dian Fertility Society re- out for her weight, acne,

Ayesha Dutt, a 23-year-old vealed that women with and hair fall. Ayesha too
artist from Kolkata, tells PCOS experience higher experienced initial feel-

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