Polycystic ovary syndrome in globalizing India: An ecosocial perspective on an emerging lifestyle disease (original) (raw)
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In Toxic Disruptions: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Urban India, medical anthropologist Gauri Pathak offers an empirically grounded and theoretically informed account of the rise in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in India. Through detailed interviews primarily with middle class women and doctors in Mumbai, the book traces how the condition is tied to the prevalence of endocrine disruptive chemicals (EDCs) in the environment, a phenomenon which she traces back to the social, economic, and dietary changes which have been ushered in by India's 30-year-long experiment with economic liberalization. The book offers a structured and compelling account of the ways in which PCOS in India is tied to changing gender norms and the evolving aspirations of the Indian middle class, while attending to the ways in which the condition poses risk to women who are negotiating it through a series of novel strategies in India's ever changing healthcare landscape. PCOS is primarily a gynecological and endocrinal condition. It can impact the regularity of the menstrual cycle and can cause reduced fertility. Its symptoms also include obesity, cystic acne, hirsutism, hair loss, and increased risk of type II diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. Studies of PCOS have shown that its rates among women in India can be twice the global average. Urban Indians face high and prolonged exposure to EDCs in the environment which has been linked to PCOS. Such EDCs are commonly found on everyday objects like credit cards, plastic packaging, fertilizers, mattresses that humans are regularly in contact with. Though the actual rates of prevalence of EDCs is hard to determine, the book looks at the increased rates of PCOS diagnosis as an outcome of toxic environments created by India's liberalization experiment which has encouraged rapid growth in harmful chemical producing sectors. The book draws on the literature on science studies and medical anthropology, to understand the possibility of inhabiting a world structured by toxicity. Pathak begins the book by interrogating how her interlocutors understand the causes behind their diagnosis. Her interlocuters agree that lifestyle changes ushered in by India's economic liberalization are the primary cause for the rise in PCOS. Pathak uses the term "disruptive modernization" to describe India's relentless push to modernize and the unsettlement of the "natural" cycle of life that it causes. A growing Indian economy has expanded the opportunities for middle class women to play a greater role in India's work force. But gender norms have remained intransigent, and women are expected to fulfill the traditional role of the wife, mother, and daughter. Pathak's interlocutors argue that this leads to greater pressure on them manifesting in the form stress. Furthermore, the extractive capitalist system has disrupted sleep and dietary cycles of women in the work force. Pathak's research shows an awareness
Polycystic ovary syndrome, medical semantics, and the political ecology of health in India
Anthropology & Medicine, 2019
Within public health, investigations into the rise of metabolic syndrome disorders, such as obesity and type II diabetes, following on the heels of globalisation have tended to focus on the twin axes of diet and physical exercise. However, such a limited focus obscures wider transformations in bodily and health-related practices that emerge in response to globalisation. This paper is an exploration of public discourses about PCOS-a hormonal disorder that affects menstruation, is associated with obesity, heart disease, and type II diabetes, and has been on the rise in India since the liberalisation of its economy in 1991-and it examines the concerns regarding sociocultural, environmental, and political-economic changes brought by liberalisation that these discourses index. Attention to medical semantics, as revealed through public discourses about PCOS, can help counter the limited focus of diet and physical activity-centred models through an emphasis on the political ecology of health. Such engagement can reveal how an emerging relationship between the body and its environment, which is seen as characteristically modern, is implicated in the rise of metabolic disorders. It can also offer critical insights for biomedical and public health research into such disorders. In India, systems of nationalised 'indigenous' and alternative medicine-recognised through the Government of India's AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) ministry-exist alongside and in compatibility with biomedicine, and people regularly mix therapeutic options (Halliburton 2004). These indigenous frameworks of health are premised upon an ecological model of health, in which the body is a microcosm of its universe (Guha 2006; Leslie 1996; Nichter 2001). The body must be in balance with its environment for the maintenance of wellness, and it has to be protected from environmental changes, seasonal variation, and life-stage progression through the regulation of bodily practices. The body is therefore seen as responsive to social, economic, and political forces, and conversely, an afflicted body contributes to degeneration in the physical, social, and political realms. Menstruation is very important within these frameworks of health, particularly Ayurveda, as bodily rhythms such as those of hunger, defecation, sleep, and menstrual cycles are highly esteemed (Nichter 1981; Zimmermann 1980), and popular health culture still ARTICLE HISTORY
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and its Social Impact on Women
2020
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic-endocrine disorder in women and is associated with several metabolic morbidities. Despite the relatively high prevalence, the etiology and natural history of PCOS are not well understood. Current theories suggest that increased risk of PCOS may involve a combination of genetic susceptibility and a myriad of environmental factors, including diet, lifestyle, and social aspects. Often coined as a "lifestyle disease," PCOS is becoming a growing concern of physicians and women alike. Lifestyle, stigmas, taboos, PCOS's effect on identity, and quality of life are worthy of examination. In India, 20-25 percent of Indian women of fertile age are suffering from PCOS. It is crucial to understand how India's social and cultural climate affects the health-seeking, diagnosis, and treatment of women with PCOS and how these factors contribute to its increasing prevalence. Unhealthy lifestyle, diet, lack of exercise, stigmas, a...
Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 2017
To study socio-cultural impact of PCOS on Indian Women especially those belonging to Economically Weaker Section (EWS). Methodology: It is a field work based study in which females suffering from PCOS were interviewed in the Outpatient Department (OPD) of a Government Hospital in Jammu. Majority of the respondents belonged to EWS and did not know anything about PCOS. Semi-structured interview schedule was used to interview patients who visited OPD for the treatment. Entire data were collected from 15th November 2016 to 31st December 2016. Information provided by respondents is used as narratives in the present study. Theories of stigma and social construction of illness have been used to analyse respondents' approach towards the disease and the way they perceive the onset of PCOS. Results and discussions: Entire discussion part has been subdivided into: PCOS as a tabooed disease; infertility: a major consequence of PCOS; Lack of awareness about the disease; and social construction of PCOS. Respondents are found to have a grave concern about the disease due to their inability to adhere to the socially constructed role of a woman. Since, menstruation is still a tabooed topic of discussion in many parts of Indian society, hence they abstain from discussing about irregularity of periods till situation goes out of hand. Married women are marred by the stigma of infertility and unmarried ones fear future infertility. Conclusion: Lack of awareness and compulsion to fulfil socially expected role of a woman, women suffering from PCOS, in this part of India, aim only at becoming pregnant (in case of married women) and normalising their monthly periods (in case of unmarried females). However, there is need to spread awareness about PCOS and encouraging women to adopt knowledge, attitude and practice approach to manage this disease.
International Academic Research Journal of Surgery, 2023
Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent 1 endocrine disorder affecting women's reproductive health. The study focuses 2 on PCOS awareness among women in District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, 3 considering the unique socio-cultural dynamics of the region. Materials & 4 Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from August to 5 October 2023, targeting women of reproductive age in District Kangra. A 6 sample of 400 participants was selected, and a Google Form questionnaire 7 assessed socio-demographic data and PCOS knowledge. Data were analyzed 8 using Epi Info V7 Software. Results: Among 400 respondents, 28.75% had 9 very good knowledge, 34.25% good knowledge, 22.75% fair knowledge, and 10 14.25% poor knowledge regarding PCOS. The study revealed variations in 11 awareness levels across different aspects of PCOS, highlighting the need for 12 targeted interventions. Conclusion: The study underscores the importance of 13 region-specific interventions to enhance PCOS awareness. Addressing 14 knowledge gaps requires multifaceted strategies, including education, 15 lifestyle interventions, and psychosocial support. The findings contribute to 16 the understanding of PCOS in District Kangra, emphasizing the need for 17 comprehensive approaches to promote reproductive well-being.
Role of Globalisation in Women’s Health: A Key Issue
Scholedge International Journal of Multidisciplinary & Allied Studies ISSN 2394-336X, 2016
The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society. Research on women’s status has found that the contributions Indian women make to families often are overlooked, and instead they are viewed as economic burdens. There is a strong son preference in India, as sons are expected to care for parents as they age. This son preference, along with high dowry costs for daughters, sometimes results in the mistreatment of daughters. Further, Indian women have low levels of both education and formal labor force participation. They typically have little autonomy, living under the control of first their fathers, then their husbands, and finally their son. All of these factors exert a negative impact on the health status of Indian women. Poor health has repercussions not only for women but also their families. Women in poor health are more likely to give birth to low weight infants. They also are less likely to be able to provide food and adequate care for their children...
Available without prescriptions in India since 2005, emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) and their advertisements have provided women with increased contraceptive options and a vocabulary to talk about their reproductive lives. I draw on long-term fieldwork with women in urban India about ECPs, demonstrating a new form of ‘stratified contraception’ enabled by these pills and their advertisements. I posit that there are within India spaces that replicate the luxuries and privileges of the global North. These material conditions, I suggest, are replicated when it comes to contraception as there are hubs of women consumers of contraception and contraceptive advertising that participate in an ‘imagined cosmopolitanism’ within the global South in close proximity to ‘contraceptive ghettos.’ Moving beyond simplistic binaries, I outline three major stratifications along which women experience this medical technology and outline the implications for women and their contraceptive choices when notions of northern privilege exist in the ‘South.’ http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/yjpzw7J63YWSGWiMVVZC/full
POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) AMONG YOUNG ADULT WOMEN: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Papers on Anthropology , 2023
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders which affect women in a significant manner worldwide. India has witnessed an about 30% rise in PCOS cases in the last couple of years. PCOS has a strong association with many comorbidities with its long-term metabolic as well as other consequences. Thus, it has recently been recognized as a significant public health issue. This review paper is an attempt to reveal the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge and awareness of PCOS among the adolescents and young adult women of India. An extensive search was performed using electronic search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar (from 2004 to 2023) to find the relevant research papers on the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge, and awareness of PCOS among the adolescents and young adult women of India. The current review summarises and highlights the prevalence, pathophysiology, knowledge, and awareness of PCOS for early identification and prevention and consequent minimation of the steady upward trend of PCOS. The results of this review could identify high-risk populations and foster the implementation of preventive lifestyle measures. It also investigates the need for intervention programmes for PCOS and its associated comorbidities in different settings at an earlier stage and to improve the quality of health.