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PCOS 101

Symptoms, diagnosis, and steps to take control.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder affecting women, typically during their reproductive years. It’s characterized by a range of symptoms caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones, which can affect your overall health, your menstrual cycles, and your fertility. The term "polycystic" refers to the fact that when you have PCOS, there is usually the presence of small, fluid-filled sacs (cysts) on your ovaries (identified via ultrasound). However, not everyone with PCOS will have cysts.

PCOS is one of the most prevalent hormonal disorders, affecting up to 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. Despite how common it is, its exact cause is still unknown, though genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors can play a role.

 

Got PCOS symptoms?

The symptoms of PCOS can vary pretty widely, but common ones include (and if you have PCOS, these may sound familiar):

  1. Anovulatory, Irregular and/or Missing Periods: Hormonal imbalances can prevent ovulation, leading to anovulatory cycles, missed or infrequent periods.
  2. Excess Androgens: Women with PCOS typically have high levels of male hormones (androgens). This can result in physical symptoms like acne, excessive body or facial hair (hirsutism), and thinning scalp hair or balding.
  3. Ovarian Cysts: Not all women with PCOS have cysts, but some may develop multiple small follicles visible on an ultrasound.
  4. Insulin Resistance: PCOS has been called “insulin resistance of the ovaries.” Cells have difficulty responding to insulin, which can lead to hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and other blood sugar imbalances.
  5. Weight Gain or Difficulty Losing Weight: Many women with PCOS experience insulin resistance, which can lead to weight gain, difficulty losing weight, and other weight struggles.
  6. Skin Issues: Darkened skin patches (acanthosis nigricans) and skin tags are common in areas prone to friction, a result of insulin resistance which is extremely common in women with PCOS.
  7. Mood Changes: Depression and anxiety are more common in those with PCOS, which can be due to hormonal imbalances, blood sugar regulation issues, elevated inflammation, lower quality of life, mental struggle coping with symptoms, and other reasons.
  8. Infertility: The unpredictability of ovulation and your menstrual cycle, plus hormone imbalances, plus insulin resistance, plus the increased inflammatory state that comes with PCOS can make getting pregnant difficult.

It is also not uncommon to experience other fertility and health issues if you have PCOS, including Hashimoto’s, endometriosis, and others.

 

Who Does PCOS Affect?

PCOS is most commonly diagnosed in women of reproductive age, typically between 15 and 44 years old. While the condition affects people across all ethnicities and backgrounds, studies suggest that it you may be more likely to develop PCOS if you’re from a certain population, for example,  women of South Asian descent are more likely to have severe insulin resistance with PCOS. And in the United States, approximately 6% to 12% of women of reproductive age are affected by PCOS. That’s means about one premenopausal woman in every ten has PCOS.

 

How do you get a PCOS diagnosis?

Diagnosing PCOS can be complicated because there isn’t a single test that can definitively tell you that you have PCOS. To diagnose PCOS, healthcare providers typically use a combination of your medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic criteria. The Rotterdam Criteria is widely used and requires that you meet at least two of the following three conditions:

âť“ Irregular or Absent Ovulation: This may be identified through irregular menstrual cycles or laboratory tests indicating lack of ovulation.

♂️ Elevated Androgens: This can be confirmed through blood tests showing you have high levels of male hormones or physical signs like excessive facial or body hair, acne, or hair thinning.

🔍 Polycystic Ovaries: An ultrasound that reveals you have multiple small follicles (12 or more on each ovary) or an enlarged ovary.

There may be other conditions that can present with similar symptoms to PCOS like thyroid disorders, hyperprolactinemia, or adrenal hyperplasia, which your doctor may rule out. They may run blood tests to check for insulin resistance, glucose tolerance, and lipid levels as well, because these are often associated with PCOS.

 

How does PCOS affect your fertility?

PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility due to its impact on ovulation. Normally, the ovaries release an egg each month during ovulation. In PCOS, hormonal imbalances can disrupt this process, leading to:

âť“ Anovulation: The absence of ovulation.

🥚 Poor Egg Quality: Hormonal imbalances, increased inflammation, and oxidative stress may also affect the quality of eggs, reducing the chances of successful fertilization.

🪷 Uterine Lining Issues: Irregular periods can result in a thickened uterine lining (endometrial hyperplasia), which may not support implantation.

However, having PCOS doesn't mean that you will definitively struggle with infertility. Many women who manage their PCOS well are able to conceive naturally.

 

We Can Help!

Saying goodbye to PCOS for good doesn’t involve cutting out dairy or gluten, going on a low-carb diet, losing weight, or taking Metformin or Ozempic. It involves real, practical and sustainable nutrition and lifestyle changes.

✨ “My PCOS diagnosis is something of the past with my now regular cycles.” — R.R.

✨ One client regulated her cycle and got pregnant naturally for the first time in 7+ years after being diagnosed with post-pill PCOS and having to use fertility treatments with her first two daughters — within just 3 months of working with us.

✨ Michelle W. was considering IVF because of her PCOS & Endometriosis. “I really thought it was going to take me years and years before getting pregnant. I got pregnant...after following the advice from the modules.”

✨ In less than 2 months of working with us, our client got pregnant for the first time in 3 years of trying to conceive. With a triple diagnosis of PCOS, Hashimoto’s and Endometriosis.

Our practice, The Greenhouse, is exclusively dedicated to supporting your fertility. We have helped our clients with PCOS reverse it for good, as well as get pregnant naturally with PCOS.

We can help you get the answers and support that you so deserve.

Apply for PCOS support here.

 

Learn more

đź“° Acupuncture For PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)

đź“° Why You Should Minimize BPA to Optimize Fertility (& Health)

đź“° Cinnamon may improve PCOS markers.

đź“° Magnesium can be key in reducing symptoms of PMS and PCOS.

đź“° Do You Take Spironolactone for Acne, Hair Loss, PCOS, Weight Gain, etc?

 

References

  1. Norman, R. J., Dewailly, D., Legro, R. S., & Hickey, T. E. (2007). Polycystic ovary syndrome. The Lancet, 370(9588), 685–697. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61345-9
  2. Moran, L. J., Teede, H. J., & Deeks, A. (2013). Lifestyle changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Human Reproduction Update, 19(3), 229–240. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmt008
  3. Teede, H. J., Deeks, A., & Moran, L. (2018). Recommendations from the international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Human Reproduction, 33(9), 1602–1618. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dey256

 

*Not medical advice. Always discuss changes to your healthcare routine with your doctor. 

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