Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal disorder that is estimated to affect five million American women every year. It often results in irregular or no menstruation and fertility difficulties due to the lack of regular ovulation. This condition got its name because most of the women with PCOS (but not all) have ovaries that look enlarged and contain numerous small cysts on the outer edge of each ovary. Besides infrequent periods and difficulty getting pregnant, women suffer other symptoms such as excess hair growth, acne and weight gain. Long term complications include type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease. Not all women get the same symptoms or with the same severity which makes diagnosing PCOS difficult and often frustrating.
The cause of polycystic ovarian syndrome is still unknown. If a close female family member has it, you might have a higher chance of having it, too. There does seem to be a link between insulin resistance and PCOS. Insulin is a hormone that our pancreas secretes to help us metabolize sugar. When someone is insulin resistant they do not use the insulin as efficiently and the pancreas has to secrete more insulin to control the blood sugar causing an excess of insulin. It is believed that one possible cause of PCOS is that the extra insulin causes the ovaries to produce more male hormones (known as androgens). This is why symptoms can include excess facial hair and acne. Also one of the drugs,used to treat PCOS, Metformin, is a drug for type 2 diabetes that lowers insulin levels.
