Dietician Heather Miller, who holds clinics in Balla, Castlebar and Claremorris, discusses Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS ).
Symptoms of PCOS include:
Irregular or absent periods; Excessive hair particularly on the face, chest or stomach; Thinning of scalp hair or male-pattern baldness;
acne; difficulty in maintaining a healthy body weight; fertility problems.
PCOS can be diagnosed by any combination of blood test results, an ultrasound scan, or from a history of symptoms. Sometimes the cysts may not be seen during a scan but a diagnosis can still be made using symptoms and blood test results. Long term health concerns associated with PCOS are linked to insulin resistance and include heart disease and diabetes.
Risk factors include:
Altered levels of fats in the blood; high blood pressure; being overweight and, in particular, having lots of fat around your middle.
Control symptoms:
The symptoms of PCOS can be controlled through physical activity, healthy eating and weight loss.
Weight loss tips: aim for one to two pounds per week.
Losing inches from your waist really helps to lower the risk of certain symptoms of PCOS.
Get active every day.
At dinner time, try to have half your plate full of vegetables.
Remember to stop eating when you feel full.
Plan ahead, make sure you have sufficient foods or have healthy snacks with you during the day.
If you want to make an appointment with Heather Miller call her on 087 172 3664 or email [email protected].
Heather has clinics in: Balla Medical centre, Balla; 24 St Patrick’s Avenue, Castlebar and O’Brien’s Pharmacy, Claremorris.
