What is Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)?

If you are having trouble conceiving and have been looking for possible reasons, you no doubt would have heard of PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, as a possible cause. But what exactly is PCOS and how does it interfere with you getting pregnant? We asked Dr Daniel Potter to expound on this and help us understand. Here is what he had to say.
 
What is PCOS? Well, that is a question that seems so simple to answer, but the answer is still somewhat controversial, in terms of what PCOS is and what causes it. If you get a bunch of experts together they have a hard time agreeing on anything.
 
The basic thing is, PCOS is a condition that causes a disruption in normal menstrual ovarian cyclicity. So the menstrual cycle is usually disrupted, and the root cause for this in the genuine condition we are thinking of when we are talking about PCOS. So it’s one of these things where you ask people what it is and they can’t tell you, but they say I know it when I see it. But the basic underlying problem is insulin resistance.
 
So the patients that have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome are born with a defective insulin receptor. And that insulin receptor does not work as effectively as a normal insulin receptor so, more insulin needs to be produced. So the patients have Hyperinsulinemia, they secrete too much insulin. What happens as a result of this over secretion of insulin is it alters the secretion of hormones that are responsible for producing eggs, and stimulating the eggs … to maturity.
 
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