Posted by We chose Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) for our project. PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects the ovaries and causes them to enlarge and develop cysts. For the art portion of the project, we used air dry clay to create a model of a uterus. The left side shows a healthy uterus while the right side shows a uterus with PCOS with bumps on the ovary to represent cysts.
How common is PCOS? Do we see it equally across different groups or are there some issues or markers that make PCOS more likely?
In the articles we found it only talked about in the United States and the percentage is 6-12% of women of reproductive age. As of for different groups, I read that African American women and Hispanic women have a higher rate because of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the general population.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is defined as the formation of cysts on the ovaries. PCOS affects the structure of the uterus, which is the main organ for the female reproductive system. The cysts on the ovaries cause functional problems such as infertility issues. This is the complete opposite effect that normal ovaries usually have, and this relates to the objective of “Knowing the structure and function of reproductive organs.†When cysts are present on the ovaries, the amount of testosterone, and other hormones that affect ovulation, increases in women. Ovulation is then affected to where it doesn’t happen normally and eggs don’t get released to be able to get fertilized. Some of the different ways to treat PCOS includes regular exercise and maintaining a healthy BMI, eating healthy, taking contraceptive pills for period issues, medications, and certain surgical procedures.
For the artistic portion of the project, they created an air-dry clay model of a uterus. On the left side of the model, it shows the healthy side with a regular ovary and on the right side, it shows an ovary with small bumps on it representing the multiple cysts. The model is painted red and pink, with a dark line going down the middle to show the division in the two sides of the model.
This is my abstract for their piece.
Interestingly, you can have PCOS without having cysts. The name came from when they thought that it was just an over production of cysts and did not yet realize the systemic implications. This is a very diverse disorder with a wide range of symptoms–and not everyone gets the same set of symptoms. For myself, I do not have cysts, insulin resistance or weight issues; but I do have lower estrogen. For one close friend, she has cyst and some hormone imbalance. Another friend has cyst and weight issues. If this topic interest you then keep an eye out for new up and coming research. This topic is starting to get its 5 minutes of research fame as it becomes a more popular research topic. The variety of forms this disorder takes and the various influences make it a challenge to study. There are many bits and pieces to this puzzle; some that might interest you are: anti-mullerian hormone, luteinizing hormone, FSH, various growth factors, and Ovairan Theca cells.