PCOS belly is what women refer to because they have an increased weight, fat distribution around the belly area so, higher weight circumference and this can be linked added to the higher testosterone levels women with PCOS have because normally, it’s men who have had bigger bellies and women put more weight and are around the hips. So, higher levels of testosterone can actually mimic that or it can also be linked to insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, that it’s prevalent among women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and that’s because it sometimes shows that type of body with higher waist circumference. So that’s what people refer to as “PCOS belly”.
Basically, there are two types i.e. the phenotypes; where the women who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome tend to gain weight. There are two shapes, one is called… for some reason, I think the earlier experts in PCOS used to like describing things with fruits. And they had two phenotypes, two descriptions of the women’s bodies with PCOS. One was the Pear-shaped; you know the fruit- the pear and the other was the Apple shape, which was a more evenly distributed round body and the other was the Pear shaped one. They tended to think that women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome had the pear-shaped one, with increased growth just around… where they’d have a normal top body but had a bigger lower abdomen. Now, there are two questions about how that kind of shape; the pear-shaped body can contribute to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease because there is more pressure going into pump blood through the abdomen and the lower body.
Unfortunately, some women who have PCOS may struggle with weight gain and then difficulty losing weight and that’s due to the hormonal impact of PCOS. Classically, women will notice that they carry the weight around their midsection which impacts on their self esteem and their confidence. It is really difficult to lose that weight sadly with PCOS but not impossible and it’s all down to having a healthy lifestyle and getting the balance right.
