So I had a question recently from someone with PCOS and they wanted to know why does insulin

cause PCOS? So this video is about that question. What is PCOS? Polycystic ovarian syndrome. This

is a condition which occurs in females which involves having too much androgen. Now normally men

are supposed to have most of the androgens and or testosterone. Women do have androgens but not

at the same levels. If a woman has too much androgen she starts developing facial hair, maybe more

body hair, acne, hair loss, so like receding hair, a deeper voice, her cycles start becoming

irregular or disappear and she can develop cysts on the ovaries. But what I want to talk about

is why does insulin cause this condition? It does so with two different mechanisms. The first one

involves a hormone from the pituitary called the luteinizing hormone. When you increase insulin,

you're going to get a spike in luteinizing hormone which comes down from the pituitary

down to the ovaries. Once this hormone connects with the ovaries, it triggers this certain cell

called athical cell which increases androgens. So that is one mechanism. Insulin, triggering and

increase in androgens. The next mechanism has a deal with your liver. There is this buffering

mechanism in your liver called SHBG, sex hormone binding globulin. This compound buffers or filters

androgens. When you increase insulin, you decrease this compound and you get less buffering

and you get more free testosterone. So there you have it, the two different mechanisms

on why insulin triggers androgens.