Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS or POS) is a complex yet common condition that affects a woman’s ovaries. Usually it is teenagers and women in their thirties and forties who suffer from the problem though exactly what causes it is not known.
If you have PCOS there are various symptoms to look out for including increased facial and body hair, acne and infrequent or absent periods. Since menstrual irregularities are often linked with ovulatory problems, it is possible that if you suffer from the condition you will also have problems conceiving. Being overweight, as a result of the hormonal imbalance, is another common symptom.
Fortunately there are a number of treatment options, which vary depending on the individual patient’s needs.
Polycystic (‘many cysts’) Ovary Syndrome or PCOS, is as the name suggests, a condition of the ovaries. Women who suffer with PCOS have larger than average ovaries and an unusually large number of small follicles on their outer surface.
Diagnosis involves blood hormone analysis as well as transvaginal ultrasound, which can be used to examine the ovaries and look for the presence of multiple small cystic areas with a characteristic appearance.
Among the symptoms of PCOS are greasy skin, acne spots and sometimes unwanted hair growth (hirsutism). Other symptoms include absent or infrequent periods or sometimes irregular periods. Some patients with PCOS are also overweight as a result of being ‘insulin resistant’. Normally, when the body digests starchy carbohydrate rich food, the sugar that is released into the blood stream relates to the production of insulin which drives the blood sugar into the various tissues of the body requiring glucose for energy. Of course if glucose is present in excess, it is ultimately laid down as body fat. In PCOS, the action of insulin is less than normal and this can lead to an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease in later life.
The symptoms described above are related to several changes happening in the body. These include a higher than normal level of testosterone in the blood stream (hyperandrogenism), an elevated level of luteinising hormone, compared with follicle stimulating hormone, and a reduced level of sex hormone binding globulin.
