Ignorant question - what is PCOS?

[ChrissyM]

I've noticed that lots of people have "PCOS" in their signatures. Can anyone tell me what this is?

[onthefly]

polycystic ovarian syndrome
it's a hormonal imbalance often presenting with lots of cysts on the ovaries (it's normal to have a few, women with PCOS have heaps). It tends to affect fertility

[Mumtastic]

Each month your body picks a follicles (containing an egg) to 'ripen' and release an egg from. This process basically causes a cyst which pops :/ releasing an egg (lovely eh). Quite a lot of hormones go into this process. With PCOS, lots of follicles might be affected instead, but none of them will get enough hormone to actually release an egg. So you might get lots of cysts, but nothing's happening in the ovulation department.

This is my understanding, but I am interested to learn more if anyone wants to correct me or add?

Women with PCOS will often have no idea when they are ovulating, if at all, which makes conceiving hard as the whole system can be out of whack. Say for someone with your standard garden variety cycle, you might get end of period, then the gear up to ovulation with EWCM, libido increase, etc, then ovulation, then body stays in preparation for pregnnancy. With PCOS this whole process will kickstart, go in circles, fizzle out, limp along and just generally drive people crazy. It's really hard to track what's happening.

[glenny_c]

It can also present with insulin resistance which can put you at a higher risk of developing Diabetes. Although not all women with PCOS will have insulin resistance

[Marley&Me]

Women with PCOS will often have no idea when they are ovulating, if at all, which makes conceiving hard as the whole system can be out of whack. Say for someone with your standard garden variety cycle, you might get end of period, then the gear up to ovulation with EWCM, libido increase, etc, then ovulation, then body stays in preparation for pregnnancy. With PCOS this whole process will kickstart, go in circles, fizzle out, limp along and just generally drive people crazy. It's really hard to track what's happening.

Pretty much sums it up. It just flippin' sucks!
Also for most women it takes a long time to actually get diagnosed and start treatment. So it takes longer and longer to conceive.

[Porsche]

I agree with all of the above. Totally frustrating.

[AndiE]

Also for most women it takes a long time to actually get diagnosed and start treatment. So it takes longer and longer to conceive.

And for some (ie, me) the ObGyn provides a sweeping diagnosis of PCOS without a single blood test or ultrasound. The basis for the diagnosis is that my cycle was long and likely anovulatory. She may have been right but she may have been wrong. Either way, I wasn't impressed. I was "diagnosed" 18 months after DS2 arrived and I didn't have too many dramas conceiving either son.

I don't mean to be off topic, it's just that I think PCOS can also be a "convenient" diagnosis for some drs, if that makes sense.