EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL
3:00 PM ETD, Friday, October 14, 2011
Contact: Donna Krupa
Office: (301) 634-7209
dkrupa@the-aps.org
@Phyziochick
PCOS and Cardiovascular Disease
Presentation by leading expert in reproductive endocrinology among highlights at meeting sponsored by the American Physiological Society
Bethesda, Md. – One in 15 women of childbearing age is diagnosed with a disorder commonly referred to as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The condition is one of the most common causes of women not ovulating and thus causes difficulty in conceiving. Fertility is not the only health consequence these women face, however. PCOS has been associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading killer of women and men alike.
Sarah Berga, MD, former Chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Emory University School of Medicine, is a researcher whose work focuses on understanding the impact of metabolic and psychological stresses on the reproductive system and as a cause of infertility, as well as on PCOS. She will provide an overview of her team’s work in a presentation entitled, "CVD and PCOS." Her remarks are part of the Physiology of Cardiovascular Disease: Gender Disparities conference, October 12–14 at the University of Mississippi in Jackson. The conference is sponsored by the American Physiological Society with additional support from the American Heart Association.
PCOS and Health
Among the cardinal features of PCOS are a lack of ovulation and a tendency towards weight gain and obesity. No studies have found a link between the syndrome and premature death. Research has, however, shown PCOS is associated with increases in artery-clogging triglycerides (fats) and insulin resistance (IR), which boosts the chances for diabetes, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. "Although we understand that PCOS is a definite risk factor for CVD, we don’t know how great of a risk factor PCOS is and thus we need to put the risk in context," says Berga.
Given the ambiguity, there is no universal protocol for treating women with PCOS-related CVD factors, according to Berga. "Some women need intervention based on existing guidelines, either to control their blood sugar to head off diabetes, or reduce their cholesterol to moderate the risk of premature heart disease. For the rest, it’s a matter of treating each woman based on their individual needs. We know that PCOS puts these women at risk for CVD-related disease, but we do not yet understand the extent to which it does so."
Does this mean that all women with PCOS should be tested and treated for diabetes? She and others recommend that women with PCOS be periodically screened for diabetes and treated for it if they meet certain formal criteria. However, pharmacological intervention to forestall diabetes has not been endorsed and it has not been established that giving women with PCOS metformin will delay or prevent diabetes.
PCOS – An Adaptation from Earlier Times?
Women with PCOS don’t ovulate on a regular basis in their early years, and yet they tend to have better fertility than other women later in their reproductive years. The reason for this may be that the female body adapted to periods of famine by increasing insulin resistance in order to conserve calories, and extended the period of conception into the future when food might be more abundant. In essence, there is the impression that either oocyte number (the germ cell involved in reproduction) is increased or the rate of loss of oocytes is decreased in women with PCOS.
"PCOS might have been a good thing to have in times of food scarcity because it allowed the window of fertility to be extended and it allowed women to survive and reproduce in low fuel environments. Today we have calories all around us, and yet the body’s possible adaptation to another time still remains for some women," according to Berga. "One way to look at PCOS is as a past adaptation gone astray."
PCOS vs. Stress-Sensitivity in Infertility
PCOS is not the only reason women do not ovulate and have difficulty conceiving. Some women are unable to do so as a result of stress sensitivity. Both PCOS and stress-induced reproductive compromise may be rooted in evolutionary circumstances. Stress sensitivity turns off the brain message to the ovaries when the environment is not conducive to gestation and renders the woman anovulatory. "Both PCOS and stress sensitivity are ways to ensure that reproduction is successful. PCOS allows for reproduction in stressful times and stress sensitivity turns off reproduction during adverse conditions," says Dr. Berga.
###
NOTE TO EDITORS: The Physiology of Cardiovascular Disease: Gender Disparities conference will be held October 12–14, 2011 at the University of Mississippi in Jackson. The press is invited to attend. For additional information, or to schedule an interview with Dr. Berga, please contact Donna Krupa at 301.634.7209 or dkrupa@the-aps.org.
***
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society has been an integral part of the discovery process since it was established in 1887. To keep up with the science, follow @Phyziochick on Twitter.
For Women With PCOS, Acupuncture And Exercise May Bring Relief, Reduce Risks
Released June 29, 2009 - Exercise and electro-acupuncture treatments can reduce sympathetic nerve activity in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, according to a new study. The finding is important because women with PCOS often have elevated sympathetic nerve activity, which plays a role in hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, obesity and cardiovascular disease.
Response to Repetitive Laughter Similar to Effect of Repetitive Exercise
Released April 26, 2010 -- Since the 1980s, California researchers have been studying the human body’s response to mirthful laughter and have found that laughter helps optimize many of the functions of various body systems. They are the first to establish that laughter helps optimize the hormones in the endocrine system, which leads to stress reduction. They have also shown that laughter has a positive effect on modulating components of the immune system, including increased production of antibodies and activation of the body’s protective cells, including T-cells and especially Natural Killer cells’ killing activity of tumor cells.
New Study Strengthens Link Between Everyday Stress and Obesity
Released September 1, 2010 - The effects of stress on the meal patterns and food intake of animals exposed to the equivalent of everyday stress on humans suggest that there is not only a short term impact – the stress can cause metabolic changes in the longer term that contribute to obesity. The findings were determined by use of the visible burrow system (VBS), an animal model of chronic social stress to produce stress-associated behavioral, endocrine, physiological and neurochemical changes in animals.
Mental Stress May Be Harder on Women’s Hearts
Released April 24, 2012 - Is mental stress harder on women’s hearts? New findings could help explain why women are more likely than men to have coronary symptoms after emotional upsets.
New Mouthpiece Found to Reduce Stress Levels After Strenuous Exercise
Released April 25, 2012 - Researchers have found that a customized device which rests on the lower jaw can decrease levels of serum cortisol following exercise. The reduction of this hormone indicates less stress following strenuous activity.