This common condition may affect women’s memory

Diseases affecting woman reproductive health They are often big unknowns. A good example of this is endometriosis or adenomyosis, as well as other conditions whose names are more familiar to us. This is the case polycystic ovary syndrome. Each of us has heard his name at some point. However, many people are still undiagnosed, and furthermore, the consequences of this disease are not fully known.

It is known how this affects metabolic health and, of course, reproductive. However, its effect on other areas of the body is unknown. Now a group of scientists from University of California San Francisco wanted to explore one of these unknown areas and discovered that it seemed to have an impact on memory and cognitive abilities.

This is the conclusion of a study recently published in the journal Neurologyin which They followed more than 900 women for 30 years.. Over time, some were diagnosed with PCOS and others were not. After some diagnoses were made, a series of tests were carried out that demonstrated this effect on the brain. This research is not conclusive, but it is an interesting thread to follow.

What is polycystic ovary syndrome?

As the name suggests, polycystic ovary syndrome is characterized by the formation many cysts in the ovary. This is due to an oversupply of production androgens. Although these hormones are known as male hormones because they are produced primarily in the testicles, they are also produced in much smaller quantities by both the ovaries and the female adrenal glands.

The problem with polycystic ovary syndrome is that these last two organs produce a much larger than normal amount of androgens, which not only contributes to the appearance of cysts. It also causes other symptoms such as mvery painful bleeding, facial hair, or reproductive problems.

In terms of metabolic problems, this syndrome is also associated with insulin resistance. In fact, it is believed that this, rather than the effect, may be the cause. That is, the cells become insulin resistant, so the pancreas must produce more and more. This excess insulin may also cause more androgens to be produced. However, whether it is cause or effect, what is clear is that PCOS can also be associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cardiovascular diseases.

What does this have to do with memory?

The just published study included 907 women who had… from 18 to 30 years old. Three decades later, 66 of them developed polycystic ovary syndrome. This corresponds to 7.27%. This figure is lower than the 14% of women of reproductive age who are estimated to develop the syndrome. However, there are also studies that show that more than half of cases are never diagnosed, so this makes sense.

After this period, study participants had to undergo several tests. One of them was the one shown names of different colors, a color different from the one they are describing, and they are asked to name the color of the text rather than the word. For example, the word “red” is represented by the color green, and the respondent must say “green”.

This, along with some tests for memory, attention and verbal skills, showed that the cognitive abilities of women with polycystic ovary syndrome were more impaired. In particular, the color test results were 11% lower. The others also quit similar results.

It is unknown how PCOS may affect patients’ brains. In fact, because the diagnosis was made based on self-reported symptoms and hormone levels rather than a physician’s assessment, the study has certain limitations. Moreover, a correlation was discovered, but the cause could not be explained, so further investigation will be required.

Now the topic is so serious that continued investigation is very important. These are very serious consequences for which patients must be prepared. But of course, some haven’t even been diagnosed yet. How to continue to take steps towards illness.