What is PCOS?

September 02, 2020

So, what exactly is PCOS? PCOS is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Despite what people think, it is not just a reproductive issue, but a hormonal issue. Some of the symptoms include: trouble conceiving or infertility due to not ovulating, painful ovarian cysts, fatigue, weight gain and extreme difficulty losing weight, insulin resistance, diabetes, heart problems, low sex drive or painful sex due to the cysts, mood changes and anxiety and depression, high testosterone level, excess of estrogen, excessive hair growth all over your body and face, or the opposite of having male pattern baldness and thinning hair, and irregular or missed periods. 5% to 10% of all women in the US have PCOS, roughly 5 million women. It is the most common cause of female infertility.

For me, PCOS is much less severe than for other people, which is a blessing for us, but it still has taken its toll. PCOS severely decreases fertility, since it impacts the regularity of your cycles, and when/if you ovulate. if you don't ovulate, you can’t get pregnant since there is no ready and available egg for the sperm to fertilize. It makes it very, very difficult to become pregnant, and eventually, you can become completely infertile as it gets worse. PCOS is something you are born with, and then eventually, it surfaces when one is an adult. Typically warning signs of it are super light and irregular periods, and people go to get things looked at, and then it is discovered.

And, if and when pregnancy does eventually happen, this illness of PCOS increases the risk of miscarriage to 30% – 50% during the first trimester, opposed to the 10% – 15% risk of first-trimester miscarriage in normal women, as well as a much higher level of miscarriages past that first trimester as well. PCOS also highly increases the complications during pregnancy and birth, and the likelihood of preterm babies. So, even once you’re out of that 8-12 weeks zone where most people are safe to tell people and most likely won’t miscarry, there will still be a high risk of miscarriage for anyone that suffers from PCOS.

PCOS is not curable, but you can attempt to lessen the symptoms and side effects through medication, exercise, and healthy eating.