Grandview OB/GYN
Dr. Erin Showalter with Grandview OB/GYN said she sees more and more women with abnormal periods.
If you’re a woman with abnormal periods, though, Dr. Showalter wants you to know that you don’t need to just accept your fate. Instead, there are many treatment options available. You may have polycystic ovary syndrome, which is common among women and has many different symptoms.
To diagnose PCOS, Dr. Showalter said she uses the Rotterdam criteria, which requires at least two of the three symptoms for a diagnosis of PCOS:
► Abnormal periods
► Hyperandrogenism, which in this case is a high presence of testosterone in women. This canlook like hair on a woman’s chinor balding.
► Polycystic ovaries that are large or have more than 12 follicles
“Patients may have one or many of the symptoms, so treatment is geared toward what they present with,” Dr. Showalter said. “Most women who come in with abnormal periods may have experienced spotting or heavy bleeding.”
When managing PCOS, the most important question Dr. Showalter asks is “Do you want to become pregnant?” A lot of the options affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant while undergoing treatment.
For example, Dr. Showalter may recommend birth control pills to balance out the hormones and limit the testosterone.
But if a woman is trying to become pregnant, there are other options. PCOS presents often in women who are obese, so many of these women have insulin resistance.
Another important part of treatment is treating the male patterns. Having hair on the chin, for example, can be mentally damaging for someone who identifies as a female. If birth control pills aren't an option, they can use testosterone blockers.
Dr. Showalter is an OB/GYN with an interest in PCOS. She said she sees PCOS in her patients more and more often, which can be attributed to the rise in obesity rates.
“It’s important for women to realize that if you have an abnormal period, don't just live with it,” she said. “There are management options. These are things you should talk about with your OB/GYN.”
