Victoria Beckham’s highly anticipated docuseries airs this week, promising to take viewers behind the scenes of the former Spice Girl and fashion designer’s life.
The docuseries, which airs on Netflix on October 9, will touch on the Spice Girls and fashion empire but also on other aspects of her personal life.
Beckham has previously spoken about having a medical condition that has affected her fertility, called polycystic ovary syndrome.
What is PCOS and what has Beckham said about it?
What is PCOS?
PCOS stands for polycystic ovary syndrome and is a condition that affects how a person’s ovaries work.
The main feature of the disorder is the large number of fluid-filled sacs, known as follicles, being unable to release the eggs they are covering, and getting in the way of ovulation.
Despite what the name suggests, you do not have to have cysts in your uterus to have PCOS.
What are the symptoms of PCOS?
Given the struggle to release an egg, those who have the condition have irregular periods and difficulty getting pregnant by natural means.
Beckham has previously been outspoken about her fertility challenges. "Every time I go out, someone says to me 'Are you pregnant,' and at first I tried to dodge these questions with a vague response and a smile, but now, I have resorted to overt, brutal honesty," she once told Now Magazine.
"I keep that big smile and say something like, 'Actually, I’m struggling with infertility because of my PCOS, so my husband and I have been through several fertility treatments. No baby yet, but it’ll happen soon!'”
Research suggests that PCOS can also affect the baby during pregnancy, with a University of Cambridge study finding that women with PCOS have a slightly higher chance of having a child with autism (the study found that women with PCOS had a 2.3 per cent chance of having an autistic child, compared with a 1.7 per cent chance for mothers who didn’t have the condition).
Additionally, women with PCOS who get pregnant have a higher risk of pregnancy complications.
Other symptoms include showing high levels of testosterone. This can cause physical signs such as excess body and facial hair, having oily or acne-prone skin, thinning hair or hair loss from the head, and weight gain.
Experts have also found a link between PCOS and an increased chance of developing other health problems later in life, such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
People with PCOS often show insulin resistance, meaning their bodies are resistant to the hormone that breaks down sugar. This can lead to weight gain and make PCOS symptoms worse, the NHS says.
What causes PCOS?
The exact cause remains unknown. However, scientists believe that there is a genetic factor at play, as it tends to run in families.
Several other factors are also believed to contribute the condition, including insulin resistance, which can cause excess testosterone production and prevent normal ovulation.
Insulin resistance can also cause weight gain, which can exacerbate PCOS symptoms, because having excess fat causes more insulin to be produced.
How is PCOS diagnosed?
If you suspect that you might be suffering from PCOS, the NHS advises that you see your GP. During the appointment, they will ask you about your symptoms and might run some checks to rule out other medical causes. These could include hormone tests to see if you have excess testosterone and an ultrasound scan to see if you have polycystic ovaries.
To be formally diagnosed, you will have to meet at least two of the three criteria. These are having irregular periods, blood tests showing high levels of “male” hormones, and scans showing that you have polycystic ovaries.
If diagnosed, you might be referred to a specialist, such as a gynaecologist or a hormone expert, to guide you through the treatment process.
How is PCOS treated?
There is no cure for PCOS. However, its symptoms can be treated through a mixture of medication, medical operations and lifestyle changes.
Medication is given to treat symptoms such as excess hair, irregular periods and fertility problems.
Those who wish to get pregnant but aren’t responding to fertility medication might also be offered a surgical procedure called laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD). This involves heat or a laser being used to destroy the ovarian tissue that’s producing testosterone.
They can also be offered in vitro fertilisation (IVF), which involves eggs being collected from the ovaries, fertilised outside the womb and then placed back in as embryos.
The NHS says that most women with PCOS are able to get pregnant with treatment.
PCOS is also treated with Type 2 diabetes medication if the patient has insulin resistance. This helps to lower their insulin and blood sugar levels.
Your doctor is also likely to suggest some lifestyle changes to combat the symptoms. If you’re overweight, they are likely to recommend you lose excess weight to have a healthy body mass index (BMI), which is thought to improve symptoms of the condition, including infertility.
Dr Cesar Diaz-Garcia, medical director of the fertility clinic IVI London, explains: “Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, staying active and eating a balanced diet can improve PCOS symptoms.
“Many women with PCOS experience significant weight gain due to insulin resistance. Although every woman is different, losing weight is often recommended as a first-line management of PCOS-related infertility in overweight women.”
Your doctor may refer you to a dietitian to support you through the weight-loss journey.
