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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)Carol Arnold, 32, owner of a marketing communications and PR firm in North Hampton, N.H., grew up having irregular periods and battling her weight. In her late 20s, her weight ballooned to 290 pounds, she began sprouting facial hair, she felt lethargic, and she stopped menstruating. Arnold didn't know it, but her ovaries were riddled with cysts. She saw three doctors in a row, but no diagnosis. "They all said, 'You need to lose weight.' "
Finally, Arnold got an answer. She had PCOS, a condition in which her high levels of testosterone prevented her ovaries from releasing eggs, which then became cysts. "Two weeks into treatment I got my first period in four years," she says. In the three years since diagnosis she lost 70 pounds.
Who's at risk. About 5% to 10% of women ages 20 to 40 have it.
Symptoms. Women with PCOS are often overweight and have excess body and facial hair, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, acne, insulin resistance and difficulty losing weight.
Diagnosis. Pelvic exams, ultrasound, and blood tests to measure hormone levels can reveal the condition.
Treatment. Birth-control pills can treat irregular periods, and a diet and exercise program can work wonders.
Chlamydia
Doctors miss this bacterial infection because people don't realize they're infected. In 80% to 90% of women, and in 70% to 80% of men, there are no symptoms. "Unless it is picked up in a routine doctor's visit, you wouldn't know you had it," says Charlotte Gaydos, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. That can explain why chlamydial infection rates are skyrocketing. In a study of 23,000 female Army recruits, Gaydos found that 9.51% tested positive for the bacteria that cause chlamydia. Four years earlier, the prevalence was only 8.1%. Untreated chlamydia in women can cause pelvic inflammatory disease, scarring of the fallopian tubes, ectopic pregnancy and, in some cases, infertility, also a problem for men.
Who's at risk. Technically, any sexually active man or woman, especially under the age of 25. Gaydos recommends that people who fit in this category be screened every six months. With an estimated 4 million new cases each year, chlamydia is the most common sexually transmitted disease.
Symptoms. Initially, they consist of discharge or itching that is so mild most people don't see a doctor. Over time women can experience lower abdominal or back pain, pain during intercourse, bleeding between periods and nausea or fever. For men, discharge from the penis, pain or burning during urination, or pain and swelling of the testicles.
Diagnosis. A urine test or a pelvic examination will reveal chlamydia.
Treatment. Chlamydia is treated with a single dose of antibiotics.
Sleep Apnea
Cartoons have long poked fun at thunderous snoring, but experts are realizing the noise is serious. Snoring may indicate sleep apnea, which can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes.
A collapsing airway triggers the snoring, and it can interrupt breathing for as long as a minute. Sufferers awake -- usually without realizing it -- to restart their breathing. That continual arousal interferes with the quality of sleep, says James Walsh, president of the National Sleep Foundation. Yet many doctors still don't realize how harmful this can be; getting a proper diagnosis is difficult.
Who's at risk. Risk increases with age, but even children can get it. Some 18 million Americans have the condition, according to the National Sleep Foundation. It's twice as common in men as it is in women, and it's associated with being overweight and having a physical abnormality in the upper airway.
Symptoms. You guessed it: snoring. Also, daytime sleepiness.
Diagnosis. Unexplained daytime sleepiness is a key sign of sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, Walsh says. When doctors suspect sleep apnea, they may recommend spending a night at a sleep clinic to monitor brain activity and blood oxygen levels.
Treatment. Patients find relief by using a machine that forces air through the nasal passages during sleep.
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