Shore IVF and Reproductive Medicine

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome usually have at least several of the many signs and symptoms associated with PCOS, including:

• Irregular or no menstruation. This is the most common characteristic. Irregular menstruation means having menstrual cycles that occur at intervals longer than 35 days or fewer than eight times a year. The condition may begin in adolescence with the onset of menstruation, or it may appear later after a weight gain.
• Signs of excess androgen. Elevated levels of male hormones may result in physical signs, such as long, coarse hair on your face, chest, lower abdomen, back, upper arms or upper legs (hirsutism); acne; and male-pattern baldness (alopecia). However, not all women who have polycystic ovary syndrome have physical signs of androgen excess.
• Enlarged ovaries with multiple cysts. Your doctor may detect ovarian cysts by ultrasound. However, you may have ovaries with multiple cysts but still not have polycystic ovary syndrome. And you may have PCOS but have ovaries that appear normal.
• Infertility. Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common cause of female infertility in the United States.
• Obesity. It's estimated that about half of women with polycystic ovary syndrome are obese.
• Skin tags. These small, excess growths of skin that are usually found on your neck or in your armpit are common in women with PCOS.
• Prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. The ability to use insulin effectively is impaired in PCOS and can result in high blood sugar levels and diabetes. Prediabetes is also called impaired glucose tolerance.
• Acanthosis nigricans. This is the medical term for darkened, velvety skin on the nape of your neck, armpits, inner thighs, vulva or under your breasts.