Recently in the BPES Facebook group, there have been a few posts by people who have Cushing’s disease.  They asked if others had it or if they knew if it is related to having BPES.  I did not know what Cushing’s disease was, and had to look it up.

From Mayo Clinic:

“Cushing syndrome occurs when your body is exposed to high levels of the hormone cortisol for a long time…Too much cortisol can produce some of the hallmark signs of Cushing syndrome — a fatty hump between your shoulders, a rounded face, and pink or purple stretch marks on your skin. Cushing syndrome can also result in high blood pressure, bone loss and, on occasion, type 2 diabetes.”

Then I saw someone in the group mention that the FOXL2 gene (which when mutated causes BPES) that is involved in the formation of the eyelids and in the function of ovarian cells, is also involved in the pituitary gland.  The pituitary gland is the organ related to Cushing’s.

Since I found out a few years ago that I have BPES, I have only ever thought about the eyes and ovaries, because these are my areas that have been directly affected.  But this post caught me off guard.  This is the first time it has occurred to me that having a mutated FOXL2 gene could cause other problems.  This may sound naïve, but I have been pretty healthy my whole life, and other than having unique eyes and irregular periods, there has never been anything wrong with me.

This post made me realize I should do more research just in case.  So if I start to get symptoms of other conditions, I can catch it early.