At the Heart of It All
by Angi Ingalls
PCOS in ConnecTion
Guest PCOS writer
“Ya, right! I am too young to have heart problems” says the twenty-five-year-old patient.
Have you or someone you know had this train of thought? I’m sure many women who hear about the increased risk of heart disease with PCOS and diabetes think they won’t be affected. Either because they are ‘too young’ or they think it’s ‘only a man’s disease’.
Heart disease can affect any woman with PCOS, pre-diabetes or diabetes at any age, especially when their disease has not been treated or managed.
It may surprise you, but I know of a woman that died at the age of 28 in 2004 due to a heart attack. She had only known about her PCOS for a little over a year. Unfortunately, her PCOS was not managed well due to lack of information and insufficient medical care, although her desire to help herself was strong. I had only known her a few weeks when I heard of her death from her sister. I was trying to get her the right information and a more suitable doctor to help her, but for her, it wasn’t soon enough.
But it’s not too late for you.
With proper diet, exercise and realization of your risks, you can help reduce your risk-factors which may prevent heart disease. The goal is to keep our blood and heart healthy. In addition, high insulin, glucose and bad fat levels can interrupt the chemical process that tells our arteries how to function. Interruption of the arteries function and raised blood pressure, a heart attack is immanent.
Exercise is very important to keep the blood flow running and burn fat. Exercise increases the amount of oxygen to the heart muscle and when combined with a healthy diet can decrease the formation of plaques that can block the arteries. The other benefit in exercise is it lowers the risk of high blood pressure because it increases circulation which makes your heart stronger and promotes artery-health and decreasing insulin and glucose levels but increasing good cholesterol.
Eating well by reducing the consumption of refined-sugar and high-fat foods helps reduce damage to the arteries thus reducing the risk of heart damage.
Have you been diagnosed with heart disease?
RESOURCES:
http://www.4women.gov/faq/heartdis.htm
http://www.ediets.com/news/printArticle.cfm?cid=1&cmi=2425014
Angi Ingalls; PCOS in ConnecTion
Guest PCOS writer
pcosinct@yahoo.com
Educator for over 18 years
Diagnosed in 1985 at 12, living with PCOS since 1981
hej
im lisa 22 years, i was tested for PCOS in summer 2007. i was so mad and upset wen i found out that i have one of the highest% the doctor had seen i didnt know what to do as i want to have a baby.
as i work away from home in sweden, i have just got though to specaillist so now i will be able to see what can be helped with me i hope every thing will be ok im just so scared
many thanks