What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome? (PCOS)

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal issue that impacts fertility and complicates conception. Diagnosed through ultrasound, it manifests with hormonal imbalances, leading to irregular periods or male hormone-related effects like abnormal hair, acne or weight gain.

What is the difference between polycystic ovaries (PCO) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)?

Polycystic ovaries (PCO) exhibit a slight enlargement and double the follicles compared to normal ovaries, a condition prevalent in up to one in three women. However, a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) requires additional hormonal symptoms such as irregular or absent periods, disrupted ovulation, or other hormonal irregularities.

What are the causes of PCOS?

The exact cause of PCOS is unknown and it is thought that genetics is a major part of it.

Are polycystic ovaries always bad?

No – if you have polycystic ovaries without accompanying symptoms or hormone imbalances on testing, then you don’t have the syndrome and you might not have any issues conceiving naturally. Isolated polycystic ovaries are generally not a cause for concern and can, in some instances, offer assurance of ample eggs for future fertility.

What are the long term risks of PCOS?

Generally there are no major long term risks, although the connection with insulin resistance can be a problem so it’s best to have ongoing monitoring to check this.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) & PMOS

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About PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a surprisingly common disorder that accounts for around 40% of female infertility, making it one of the main reasons women struggle to get pregnant. Yet many people don’t know about it, so the symptoms often pass undiagnosed.

Despite the name, this condition is less about having cysts on your ovaries (which can happen with this disorder, but not always) and more about hormonal imbalances. Indeed, PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder for women in the reproductive stage of their life (the time from when a woman’s periods begin to when they stop at menopause) and it can be related to elevated cholesterol, an insulin imbalance and a tendency towards unwanted weight gain.

The general thinking is that increased levels of insulin in the bodies of people with PCOS cause their ovaries to work differently to people without PCOS, which in turn leads to the production of excessive levels of male-type hormones (androgens) causing some of the symptoms of PCOS.

The symptoms

It helps to know some of the key symptoms of PCOS, and if you suspect you might have one or more of these issues and are trying to get pregnant, it’s a good idea to speak to your doctor or a fertility specialist as soon as possible.

Some of the key symptoms to look out for include:

Abnormal or irregular menstrual cycles – either very light OR very heavy bleeding
Excess weight with a high body mass index or easy weight gain
A feeling of bloating and heaviness in the lower abdomen
Areas of darker skin pigmentation
Abnormal amounts of facial and body hair
Acne

PCOS and fertility

As we mentioned above, PCOS is a major cause of female infertility, and the reason for this is that it can cause two key issues that can make it more difficult for you to get pregnant: a hormonal imbalance and an insulin imbalance.

A hormonal imbalance means an elevated level of male hormones than usual (all women have low levels of male hormones) which can prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs, leading to irregular menstrual cycles.

An insulin imbalance can make it more difficult for your body to regulate blood sugar levels. Insulin released by your body is needed to keep sugar levels in check, but with PCOS your body can become resistant to the effects of insulin. This leads to higher insulin levels in the blood, which can affect ovulation and ultimately your ability to get pregnant.

If you know or suspect that you have PCOS, consulting a doctor for review before trying to conceive is highly recommended. There are some ways to manage the symptoms, such as taking an oral contraceptive pill to correct the hormonal imbalance, although this is usually only a temporary measure.

It’s also possible to manage PCOS by making changes to diet and exercise and ultimately to conceive naturally. Otherwise, there are various medical options and fertility treatments you can consider to assist you in getting pregnant and our expert team is here to help you work out the right option for you.

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Management and treatment

Maintaining a weight in the healthy body mass index range (18.5-24.9) can be helpful for managing symptoms, especially irregular ovulation. So losing weight is often the first step for women with PCOS – but this disorder can make doing this quite difficult, so please talk with your doctor or fertility specialist for help and support in doing this in a healthy way.

If further management is required, your doctor might prescribe fertility drugs (such as clomiphene, letrozole and gonadotrophins) to help with ovulation, or in more serious cases a surgical treatment may be required.

For anyone with PCOS who is struggling to conceive, we can offer a range of fertility treatment to help you achieve your goal of pregnancy.

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