Symptoms you may be searching for
If any of these brought you here, you are in the right place.
- period not coming
- missed period not pregnant
- irregular periods
- heavy bleeding with clots
- bleeding between periods
- unbearable period pain
- periods stopped suddenly
- facial hair and no periods
- weight gain irregular periods
- pimples and period problem
- dark neck
See a doctor this week
Bleeding that soaks a pad every hour, goes on for more than seven days, or leaves you faint and breathless needs a visit this week, not next month. It can be PCOD, but fibroids, polyps and thyroid disease cause it too, and all are treatable.
What is PCOD (PCOS)?
PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease) is a hormone imbalance in which the ovaries do not release an egg on time each month. Instead, many small, immature follicles collect in the ovary, which is what the scan shows. They are not true cysts and do not need to be removed.
Three things go wrong together. The egg does not release (anovulation), so periods come late or not at all, and when they come they can be heavy with clots. The ovaries make more male-type hormone (androgen) than usual, which causes facial hair and pimples that persist past the teens. And the body's insulin does not work well (insulin resistance), so the pancreas makes more of it. High insulin drives weight gain around the waist and causes the dark, velvety skin on the neck and underarms (acanthosis nigricans).
PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is the same condition under its newer name. It is not caused by anything you did, it runs in families, and it is managed rather than cured.
When you should see a doctor
See a gynaecologist if:
- No period for three months and you are not pregnant
- Periods more than 35 days apart, or fewer than eight in a year
- Heavy bleeding with clots lasting more than seven days
- New facial hair, or pimples that started or worsened in your twenties
- Weight gain around the waist that does not shift, or a dark patch on the neck
- Your daughter is 16 and has not started periods; see adolescent gynaecology for teenage period problems
Bleeding between periods and unbearable period pain can have other causes, such as fibroids, polyps or endometriosis, so they are checked rather than assumed to be PCOD.
How PCOD is diagnosed at RV Clinic
There is no single PCOD test. The diagnosis needs two of three things: periods that are late or absent, signs or blood levels of excess androgen, and ovaries with many small follicles on the scan.
History and examination. Your period pattern since they began, weight and waist, blood pressure, hair growth, skin, and the neck for dark patches.
Scan. A pelvic ultrasound to count the follicles, measure the ovaries and check the thickness of the uterine lining, through the abdomen or transvaginally. A thick lining after months without a period needs a period brought on soon.
Blood tests. Fasting sugar and insulin, HbA1c, thyroid (TSH), prolactin, and hormone levels (LH, FSH, testosterone), ideally on day two or three of a period. Thyroid and prolactin are tested because they cause the same symptoms.
A note on scans
Sex determination of the foetus is not done at RV Clinic, and no scan report here will state it. It is a punishable offence under the PCPNDT Act, 1994.
Treatment options
Food and weight. This works on every symptom at once. Losing even five percent of your weight (three kilos if you weigh sixty) restarts ovulation in many women. The changes are simple: half the rice, millets instead of white rice and maida, a protein with every meal, no sugary drinks, and thirty minutes of brisk walking most days. Dr. Ragavi gives you a written plan that works in a South Indian kitchen.
Regulating periods. Progesterone tablets for five to ten days bring on a period and protect the lining. Combined pills for a few months give regular cycles, lighter bleeding and lower androgen, if you are not trying to conceive.
Insulin resistance. Metformin, started low and raised slowly, improves insulin action, helps weight loss and fades the dark neck over months.
Hair and pimples. Combined pills and anti-androgen tablets reduce new hair growth and acne over six to nine months; existing hair is removed by threading, waxing or laser.
Trying for a baby. Ovulation induction with tablets, follicle monitoring by scan and timed intercourse; most women with PCOD conceive this way. See infertility treatment in Chennai.
Long term. Untreated PCOD raises the chance of type 2 diabetes and, when periods are absent for years, thickening of the uterine lining (endometrial hyperplasia). A yearly sugar test and at least four periods a year, natural or induced, keep both risks low. After 40, menopause care in Chennai takes over.
Where treatment happens
Everything for PCOD, the consultation, scan, blood test requests, treatment and follow-up, happens at RV Clinic Madipakkam or RV Clinic Thalambur, whichever is closer to you. PCOD itself never needs a hospital.
The exception is surgery for something found alongside it, such as a large ovarian cyst, done by Dr. Ragavi herself, usually by laparoscopy, at Unittas Multispeciality Hospital, 21 km from the Madipakkam clinic and 5 km from the Thalambur clinic. RV Clinic is an outpatient clinic. No operation is done at either clinic address.
What to expect at your appointment
- Call or WhatsApp the clinic and say it is for period problems or PCOD. Any day of the cycle is fine for the first visit.
- Bring your period dates, any earlier reports and the medicines you take.
- Dr. Ragavi listens first, then examines you. A lady attender is present, in a separate examination room.
- The scan is usually done at the same visit; blood tests are timed to your cycle.
- You leave with a written plan: food changes, tablets if needed, and a follow-up date.
Frequently asked questions
Period varala, pregnancy test negative. Enna problem?
3 months-ku mela period varala-na, pregnancy illa-na, adhu usually PCOD dhaan. Oru scan, konjam blood test paathu confirm pannuvom. Progesterone tablet kuduthu period varavachu, appuram regular-a varra maadhiri treatment pannuvom.
Is PCOD curable?
It is managed, not cured, like diabetes or thyroid disease. Weight and food changes alone can switch off most symptoms for years; tablets are often needed only for a few months at a time.
Will I be able to have children?
Most women with PCOD conceive, many once weight comes down, and most of the rest with ovulation tablets and follicle monitoring at the clinic. IVF is needed only in a small number.
Why is my neck dark and my face hairy?
Both come from the hormone imbalance in PCOD. High insulin causes the dark neck; weight loss and metformin fade it over months. Extra androgen causes the facial hair and pimples; tablets that lower it reduce new growth over six to nine months.
Do I have to take the pill? I am not married.
No. Combined pills are one option for regular cycles, prescribed for the periods, not for contraception. If you would rather not, progesterone for a few days every two to three months, metformin and weight change achieve much of the same.
Weight kammi panna period regular aaguma?
Aagum, palarukku. Weight-la 5 percent kammi pannaale (60 kilo-na 3 kilo) ovulation start aagi period regular-a varum. Rice paadhi, daily 30 nimisham walking, sweet drinks illa, idhu dhaan mukkiyam. Tablet adhukku support mattum dhaan.
Book a consultation
Call or WhatsApp the clinic and say it is for period problems or PCOD. To fix a time, book an appointment with Dr. Ragavi Vikram.