E28.2: Polycystic ovarian syndrome

Your period is too infrequent. Or you have cysts in your ovaries or too many male sex hormones.

There are two ovaries in the body. The ovaries are influenced by regulating messenger substances from the brain. The ovaries themselves create various sex hormones. These include female and male sex hormones. The sex hormones affect the female cycle, fat distribution in the body, skin and hairiness, for example.

With your disease, there may be cysts in your ovaries. Cysts are small blisters that are filled with fluid. Furthermore, the interval between your periods may be larger than 35 days. You have too much of a specific regulating messenger substance in your blood. This messenger substance is called the luteinizing hormone. Too much of this messenger substance results in the balance of male and female sex hormones in the body getting mixed up.

As a result, you may have too many male sex hormones. That can cause various changes. Your period may occur less often or not at all because of this. You may have more hair on your legs, stomach and chest, which appears typically masculine. All in all, you may have a rather masculine physique. You may also get fatty skin and pimples.

This disease often results in being overweight. Being overweight can have many causes. You can gain weight if you do not exercise enough. Another cause of being overweight may be a messenger substance disorder. Many messenger substances in the body interact. Being overweight may influence the messenger substance disorder.

You have an increased risk of getting diabetes. With diabetes, the messenger substance insulin often no longer works properly.