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PCOS – POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME


Polycystic ovary syndrome is the name of a disease that is defined by menstrual cycle disorders. The following symptoms indicate PCOS:

  • Significantly longer intervals between menstrual periods
  • Complete absence of menstruation
  • Male hair patterns
  • Increased male sex hormones in the blood
  • Obesity
     

Ovarian cysts (PCO = polycystic ovaries) are diagnosed in about 60 per cent of affected women during an ultrasound examination. The maturation of the follicles is disturbed due to increased male hormones. Usually, several follicles mature, but these wither away before they have matured into a fertilizable egg cell. As a result, there is no ovulation and no corpus luteum is formed, which determines the second half of the menstrual cycle. There is no normal 28-day cycle, this often extends well beyond 35 days to the point of a complete absence of menstrual bleeding.

PCOS patients often suffer from obesity, which is associated with increased insulin production. But PCOS can also be diagnosed in slim women, in whom the cause is likely to be in the area of central nervous system.

PSOS is an indication for co-payment by the Austrian IVF Fund, affected patients receive 70 per cent of the cost of IVF treatments.