| Infertility is a very real problem today. CDC estimates | | | | essential. |
| indicate that as many as six million women of child | | | | Treatment for PCOS tends to focus on treating the |
| bearing age are having trouble conceiving a child. In | | | | symptoms, rather than the disease itself, as the |
| married couples this amounts to about two million of | | | | cause of the condition is still unknown. Women who |
| all couples. Nine million women have used infertility | | | | suffer from irregular or late periods often are put on |
| services at some point in their lives. One condition | | | | birth control to stabilize the menstrual cycle. This |
| that causes some of these cases of infertility is | | | | does not work, however, for women who are trying |
| polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. Between six | | | | to get pregnant. Other conditions, such as |
| and ten percent of all women have PCOS to some | | | | hypertension or diabetes, are also treated with |
| extent. While many women are able to conceive and | | | | medications. |
| bear children naturally in spite of this condition, it can | | | | Many women who have PCOS and are struggling |
| make getting pregnant difficult for some. | | | | with infertility find that their infertility issues are |
| What Is PCOS? | | | | calmed somewhat when they go on insulin |
| PCOS is an endocrine disorder that causes cysts to | | | | medications. This often helps to regulate periods and |
| grow in the ovaries. Women with POCS will have | | | | promote ovulation, which can help a woman to get |
| eight or more cysts that are 10 mm in diameter or | | | | pregnant. A healthy weight, which is sometimes |
| smaller in the ovaries, and these cysts can cause | | | | difficult to attain with this condition, can also improve |
| difficulties with ovulation. The cysts cause the ovaries | | | | fertility. |
| to be larger than the ovaries in healthy women. The | | | | Getting Pregnant with PCOS |
| condition can cause late periods and difficulties when | | | | If you are diagnosed with PCOS, it does not mean |
| the woman tries to get pregnant. | | | | that you will be unable to get pregnant. However, |
| Interestingly, PCOS tends to be more common in | | | | you may find it more difficult to get pregnant with |
| diabetic women than non-diabetic women. While | | | | this condition, and you may also have a problem with |
| women who are not categorized as diabetics can | | | | miscarriages. Estimates indicate that women with |
| have the condition, it is often accompanied by | | | | PCOS have a 45% miscarriage rate. Before you try |
| higher-than-normal insulin levels. This has led some | | | | to get pregnant, talk to your obstetrician about the |
| researchers to speculate that there is a correlation | | | | hurdles you will be overcoming as someone with this |
| between diabetes and PCOS, although the link has | | | | condition. There are steps you can take prior to |
| yet to be proven. | | | | getting pregnant to reduce your chances of having a |
| Symptoms of PCOS | | | | miscarriage. |
| The symptoms of PCOS are usually what cause a | | | | Remember that PCOS is one of the most common |
| woman to seek treatment. Infertility is one common | | | | fertility problems in women, so your doctor will be |
| symptom that sends women to the doctor. | | | | trained on how to treat this condition. Also, many of |
| However, there are other symptoms of the condition | | | | the medications used to treat the symptoms of |
| as well, including: | | | | PCOS are dangerous for babies in the womb, so you |
| · Irregular or late periods | | | | may need to work with your doctor to adjust your |
| · Lack of ovulation | | | | medications before you begin trying to conceive. |
| · Increased levels of testosterone | | | | Start by getting as healthy as you possibly can. |
| · Six months or more of pelvic pain | | | | Adding exercise and a healthy diet to your life will |
| · Being overweight· Diabetes | | | | help balance the insulin problems your body is |
| · Cholesterol problems | | | | probably facing. Also, being at a healthy weight |
| · Hypertension | | | | before you get pregnant will lower your chances of |
| · Excessive hair growth, especially on the | | | | developing gestational diabetes, which is common |
| face | | | | among PCOS patients. Lower the amount of fat and |
| · Hair loss· Skin problems | | | | carbohydrates in your diet as much as possible. |
| · Skin tags | | | | If you have gotten your weight under control and |
| While these symptoms can indicate a variety of | | | | are taking medication for insulin resistance and still |
| problems, they do point to PCOS. However, they can | | | | find that you are not ovulating, your doctor will |
| appear to be completely unrelated problems, and for | | | | probably prescribe an ovulation medication, such as |
| this reason many women who have the condition are | | | | Clomid. This will stimulate your ovaries towards |
| not diagnosed very quickly. The doctors, instead, | | | | ovulation, which must occur if you are going to get |
| focus on treating each of the symptoms individually, | | | | pregnant. Once you begin ovulating, start charting |
| especially if the doctor cannot feel the cysts on the | | | | your body temperatures to learn when you ovulate. |
| ovaries. However, a combination of these symptoms, | | | | Your morning body temperature will spike slightly |
| especially when accompanied by fertility problems, is | | | | around the time of ovulation, and this is when you |
| a good indication that PCOS may be the culprit. | | | | are going to be fertile. If you have tried to conceive |
| Treatment for PCOS | | | | using these medications and proper planning and still |
| PCOS needs to be treated, because the condition | | | | are unsuccessful, you may wish to consider |
| can lead to other serious health problems in the | | | | intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization to help |
| future, such as endometrical cancer and heart | | | | you successfully conceive. Your doctor will be able to |
| disease. While these are serious conditions, most | | | | advise you as to which of these treatments is likely |
| women seek to treat their PCOS so that they can | | | | to be successful. |
| get pregnant. Regardless of the reason, treatment is | | | | |