Infertility in women can be due to various reasons. One such reason is PCOS. In the reproductive-aged woman, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a widespread endocrine condition. As per the fertility centers in India, around 5 – 10% of young women struggle in conceiving due to PCOS.
PCOS is related to the hormones. Ovaries of a woman with PCOS do not always release an egg every month at the end of the menstrual cycle, which can cause difficulties in conceiving.
The connection between PCOS and Infertility
PCOS harmfully affects the fertility of women. Women suffering from PCOS do not ovulate or release an egg every month due to the overproduction of estrogen by the ovaries. And due to the absence of regular ovulation, the possibility of the increased levels of hormones, irregular periods become higher, which might:
- Affect the egg quality
- Inhibit ovulation
- Lead to insulin resistance
- Increase risk disorders such as gestational diabetes
What causes PCOS?
As the exact cause for PCOS is not known. Still, the studies show that the woman with a high level of male hormones might suffer from PCOS as it prevents the ovaries from producing the eggs. Other than that
- Genes
- Insulin Resistance
- Inflammation
Are the other three theorized and accepted causes of PCOS.
What are the PCOS symptoms?
PCOS have some of the following symptoms:
- Polycystic ovaries (PCO) – Woman have the larger size of ovaries than usual, they many more follicles also [Having PCO does not mean that woman has PCOS]
- No periods or irregular menstrual cycle
- Increased facial or body hair
- Less hair on the head
- Rapid weight gain
- Difficulty losing weight
- Oily skin or acne
- Difficulty in conceiving
- Ovaries containing multiple cysts
- PCOS symptoms that are linked to hormones
- Testosterone: The level of testosterone is higher among the women who PCOS, so it is related to other symptoms.
- Insulin resistance: The body of a woman with PCOS does not respond to insulin, which leads to rising levels of glucose, and it might result in weight gain and infertility. Women with PCOS are more likely to suffer from diabetes in the future.
PCOS treatments: What is the treatment for PCOS if a couple is trying to conceive?
PCOS itself has no specific treatment. But with the virtue of advancements, medical science, and availability of infertility treatments in India, symptoms of PCOS are very much curable. Generally, doctors advise the woman with a BMI of over 30 to lose weight with healthy exercise and eating. It can help the woman to ovulate. It can also help medications to work better and reduce the risk during pregnancy.
In the first cycle of the treatment, the woman will have a transvaginal scan to ensure whether the dose of current medicine is adequate or not. This scan helps to know how the follicles are developing.
This medicine is not given for more than six months as it can cause the risk of ovarian cancer. If the results do not come as expected with the help of the current medication, then the doctor will give a different medication.
These medicines are likely to overstimulate the ovaries, which might cause multiple pregnancies. Still, the woman will have regular scans to check on developing follicles.
To cure insulin resistance, the doctor might give medications as in diabetes. If the issue doesn’t contain then surgery with the help of the technique called laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD). This will help in killing the tissue on the ovaries, which produces the testosterone.
At last, PCOS doesn’t have treatment, as we mentioned earlier. All the above techniques are methods to reduce its symptoms so the woman could conceive. If she still has a problem in conceiving, then In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) can be used. In this, the egg is retrieved and fertilized outside the body. After that, the fertilized egg is implanted back to the uterus.
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