When you are an adult struggling with multiple health issues, it can feel like getting the right treatments and taking care of yourself can be a daunting and difficult task. If you are currently diagnosed with both polycystic ovarian syndrome (commonly called PCOS) and bipolar disorder, you may think that these two conditions are completely unrelated and separate from one another. However, the human body is a single system, and it is important to understand that one system in the body can affect all the rest. Get to know more about what it means to suffer from both PCOS and bipolar disorder so you can be sure that you are taking the best possible care of your health going forward. 

PCOS and Bipolar Disorder Co-Occur Frequently

You may think that you are odd or that something is seriously wrong with you because you suffer from both bipolar disorder and PCOS at the same time. However, you are not alone in this struggle. And the reality is that PCOS and bipolar disorder co-occur more frequently than you might realize. Studies have shown that psychiatric disorders and specifically bipolar disorder are more prevalent in women with PCOS than women without the condition.

Knowing that you are not alone in these struggles can provide you with some comfort. There is a known link between polycystic ovarian syndrome and bipolar disorder, and while it is not known whether one causes the other, the fact is that you and many other women share a common set of diagnoses. 

Both Bipolar Disorder and PCOS Can Cause Severe Depression

Another important fact to keep in mind is that both PCOS and bipolar disorder can cause a woman to go through periods of severe depression. PCOS is a condition that causes significant hormonal imbalances with androgen (male hormone) levels becoming high and estrogen and progesterone levels becoming low. Hormonal imbalances such as these can affect mood and cause depression, anxiety, and other such mental health symptoms. 

Bipolar disorder, on the other hand, is a mood disorder. In bipolar disorder, a person experiences fluctuating periods of highs and lows with occasional periods of "normal" moods. People with mood disorders have chemical imbalances in their brain that cause their symptoms. 

Because both PCOS and bipolar disorder have to do with imbalances in the chemical makeup of the body and brain, the combination can result in even more pronounced mood issues, especially when it comes to depression. It is important to recognize that both conditions can cause severe depressive periods and that care should be sought out for both conditions when depression occurs to determine which treatment may need to be adjusted. 

Now that you know a bit more about what it means to struggle with both bipolar disorder and PCOS, you can be sure that you are doing everything you can to take care of your mental and physical health going forward. Contact a company like Burnsville Family Physicians for more information and assistance.