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Know All About PCOS & Infertility!

By Medical Expert Team

Jan 10 , 2019 | 2 min read

PCOS (POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME) is a disorder characterized by enlarged ovaries and the formation of tiny cysts on the outer side of the ovaries. It is a hormonal condition that stimulates surplus production of androgen in women which being a “male hormone,” triggers acne and excessive growth of body hair in women accompanied by irregular or lack of ovulation in the form of absent or erratic menstrual cycles. Hence, owing to troubles in ovulation,one may experience difficulties in getting pregnant. PCOS is also characterized by Insulin resistance especially in obese women and due to these high levels of insulin as a result of insulin resistance,androgen production is drastically increased in the body.

Symptoms of PCOS include:

Irregular Menstrual Cycle. Women with PCOS may miss periods or their periods may come every 35 days or more . Some women with PCOS sometimes stop having menstrual cycle.
Excessive hair. Excessive hair on the face, chin, or parts of the body where men usually have hair. This is called "hirsutism."It affects up to 70% of women with PCOS.
Acne. Acne on the face, chest, and upper back.
Hair Loss. Thinning hair or hair loss on the scalp; male-pattern baldness.
Weight Gain. Weight gain or difficulty losing weight.
Skin Darkening. Darkening of skin, particularly along neck creases, in the groin, and underneath breasts.
Skin tags. Skin tags, which are small excess flaps of skin in the armpits or neck area.

Also Read the Difference between: PCOD vs PCOS

Treatment for PCOS:

The PCOS treatment is tailored as per the symptoms of the condition:

A lack of ovulation and menstrual cycles hinders the secretion of progesterone (a hormone preparing the uterus for pregnancy), thus hampering conception. In this case, the treatment is directed at maintaining a regular ovulation for which oral contraceptive pills can be used initially followed by OVULATION INDUCTION drugs which will help enhance your chances of conception.These pills comprise both progestin and estrogen which aid to bring down androgen production also.
PCOS along with insulin resistance warrants the use of certain medications such as metformin which is prescribed to enhance insulin sensitivity.
Another solution to the problem can be bringing changes to the lifestyle. Daily exercises and diet modifications help in weight reduction and increase your fertility potential.
If all treatments of ovulation induction have failed, you should consider IUI or IVF as a next step as these have brought tremendous results in terms of pregnancy in such patients.So consult an infertility expert for the right guidance and support.