Polycystic ovary syndrome, also known equally PCOS, is one of the most mutual causes of female infertility. Because information technology affects as many as 5 million American women, or nearly v to 10 percent of those of childbearing historic period, there's a good chance that someone you know has information technology.

While this condition tin make conceiving more than challenging — and it raises the take chances of certain pregnancy complications once you exercise excogitate — women with PCOS deliver salubrious babies every day.

Here'due south what yous demand to know to boost your odds of getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy with PCOS.

What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

PCOS medical illustration

PCOS is a hormonal condition that results in issues ovulating. Ovulation is a procedure in which a mature egg is released from the tiny, fluid-filled sacs (follicles) in the ovaries each month.

Women with PCOS produce higher-than-normal levels of the male hormone testosterone, which can hinder ovulation and causes irregular or absent-minded periods.

More specifically, the hormonal imbalance interferes with the follicles' ability to release eggs, which instead remain in the ovaries equally cysts — thus the name poly (pregnant many)-cystic ovary syndrome.

What causes PCOS?

Doctor's aren't sure what causes PCOS, but there are some factors that have been linked to the status, including:

  • Genetics.PCOS appears to run in families, so if your mom or a close female person relative has PCOS, your chances of also having it are higher.
  • More than androgens. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome tend to have higher levels of androgen hormones, which can interfere with ovulation. Androgens are sometimes chosen "male hormones" because they control traits such as male-pattern baldness, but women naturally produce androgens too.
  • Backlog insulin.Researchers have plant that women with PCOS tend to take loftier levels of insulin (the hormone that regulates how your torso breaks down sugar) because their bodies take a hard time using it properly. Insulin also controls ovarian function, and too much insulin in the body tin cause irregular or absent-minded ovulation.
  • Being overweight or obese. While overweight women are at greater risk for PCOS and women with PCOS are at greater take chances of becoming overweight, the jury is out on whether excess weight causes PCOS or vice versa. However, if you lot're trying to conceive, information technology's a adept idea to start eating good for you foods and exercising if you aren't already.

What are the symptoms of PCOS?

PCOS often develops after puberty, only sometimes it can announced later. The almost common symptoms of PCOS include:

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  • Irregular menstrual cycle (though you can still have PCOS if you accept a regular flow)
  • Acne
  • Excessive pilus growth on the confront or other parts of the body
  • Thinning pilus on the scalp
  • Weight gain
  • Prolonged vaginal bleeding (occasionally)
  • Insulin resistance or pre-diabetes (impaired glucose tolerance), which develops in more 1 in 2 women with PCOS before the age of forty

Because many women who don't have PCOS may as well take these symptoms, you'll want consult your doctor if you have irregular periods or suddenly develop any of the symptoms above.

Your practitioner will consider whether y'all've had them in the past and wait carefully at your family history. He or she will also examine areas of increased pilus growth, comport blood tests and perform a pelvic test or ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts (though it's totally possible to have PCOS just no cysts).

What are your treatment options for PCOS?

While PCOS can't be cured (nor does it go abroad on its ain or with age), a healthy lifestyle can help manage your symptoms. Your practitioner tin aid determine the best treatment for you based on your medical history.

A well-counterbalanced diet that's rich in circuitous carbs and low in refined carbs and carbohydrate may help restore ovulation and regular periods in women with PCOS.

Losing weight can besides assist care for PCOS. Studies suggest that losing 5 to 10 percentage of your weight can improve insulin levels, normalize your hormone levels and regulate your menstrual bike. Get a personalized weight-loss recommendation from your practitioner.

If you're not currently trying to excogitate — or are done having kids — your practitioner may recommend taking birth command with progestin to reduce levels of male hormones and regulate your period.

Can you get pregnant with PCOS?

Yes, it's possible for women with PCOS to become pregnant on their own or with the help of medications that can help cause ovulation.

What are the possible risks of PCOS to the mother and baby?

Both women who take PCOS and their babies are more likely to take certain complications, including:

Miscarriage

Women who have PCOS are more likely to have a miscarriage during the early months of their pregnancy than women who don't have the status, only some inquiry indicates that taking the medication metformin may reduce this risk.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes, which only appears during pregnancy, is a condition in which the hormones from the placenta block the torso's production of the hormone insulin, resulting in loftier blood sugar levels. Gestational diabetes is often treatable, and will usually become away later on delivery (although some women will later develop type 2 diabetes).

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is the sudden onset of high blood pressure and swelling of the easily and face. It usually develops subsequently calendar week 20 of pregnancy, and when caught early, can be treated successfully.

Mood disorders

Having PCOS is also linked to weather such as depression and anxiety, possibly due to the higher levels of androgen hormones, equally well as binge eating.

Preterm birth

Babies built-in to moms with PCOS are more likely to be born preterm (i.e. before 37 weeks) and spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Can PCOS complicate your delivery?

Because women who have PCOS are more likely to have complications like high blood pressure, they're besides more likely to require a C-section.

How to increase your chances of getting meaning with PCOS

If you have PCOS, you lot can heave your chances of getting significant with medication (or possibly surgery). Some handling options include:

  • Metformin. Although this type 2 diabetes medication, which helps regulate the amount of insulin in your blood, isn't approved past the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for treating PCOS, research suggests that it and other diabetes medications may assistance with fertility, so ask your doctor if it's right for you.
  • Clomiphene citrate (Clomid). This drug stimulates ovulation and has been a standard infertility treatment for years, including in women with PCOS. Clomid might sometimes be used in conjunction with metformin to help women with PCOS excogitate.
  • Letrozole (Femara). This ovulation inducer is beingness used more and more often to treat ovulation issues, and can piece of work very well for women with PCOS. Femara can also be used with metformin to help boost the odds for formulation success.
  • Hormone shots. If Femara or Clomid, with or without metformin, doesn't help with formulation, injectable fertility drugs can be the next step for women with PCOS.
  • In vitro fertilization (IVF). If none of the above treatments work, IVF tin help make pregnancy a reality for women with PCOS.
  • Ovarian drilling. In this minimally invasive surgical procedure, the doctor inserts a sparse needle through the abdomen to treat small areas of the ovaries and lower the levels of male hormones they produce. The idea behind the procedure is to assist meliorate ovulation, only studies show the results of ovarian drilling are inconsistent and non all practitioners recommend this treatment for PCOS.

A few non-medicinal things to try:

  • Boost your vitamin D levels (if necessary). Adequate vitamin D levels could help women with PCOS excogitate and have successful, salubrious pregnancies, a Academy of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study constitute. Researchers found that women with PCOS who were vitamin D scarce were twoscore percent more probable to have trouble getting pregnant and giving birth to salubrious babies than those who weren't vitamin D deficient.
  • Eat some cinnamon. Taking ane.v grams of cinnamon daily — a spice known to help regulate insulin levels — may be a safe and perchance effective way to help normalize your cycles and boost your odds of conceiving besides, according to ane small written report. It can't hurt to endeavor, so see if sprinkling a spoonful on your morning oatmeal for a few months helps regulate your menses.

While PCOS can have an bear on on your fertility and your pregnancy, with the correct care and handling, conception and a healthy pregnancy are completely possible — and even probable!