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PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, affects many women. It has been said to affect at least one out of ever ten women and that is not an accurate number since so many women go undiagnosed. There are many symptoms to this disorder and not everyone gets all of the symptoms. Some women only experience one or two symptoms where as someone else may experience five or more of the symptoms. This is an endocrine disorder as well as a reproduction system disorder. Double whammy!!

The symptoms hit each woman in a different way and this adds to the reason of going undiagnosed. Some of the most common symptoms include obesity, acne, irregular or absent periods, anovulatory cycles, abnormal hair growth, thinning of hair on scalp, cysts on ovaries, enlarged ovaries, anxiety, infertility, mood swings, insulin resistance and fatigue. Many women will only experience a few of these symptoms. There are other symptoms that are caused by PCOS but they aren't as common as these.

Insulin resistance is the probable cause to more cases of PCOS than not. If the insulin resistance is treated correctly, then many of the other symptoms will go away as well. Many women do not even realize that they have PCOS until they have trouble conceiving. There are PCOS sufferers that have regular cycles, are not obese and do not have any of the other prominent symptoms. Infertility is one of the symptoms that is generally felt by many women with PCOS, but again, not all.

Insulin sensitizing medications, such as metformin is used to help women with PCOS. This drug helps to regulate insulin and that in turn helps with keeping blood sugars in range. This can help women that are overweight to lose weight as well and it curbs sugar and carbohydrate cravings that many state they have. Once the insulin is better regulated, some of the other symptoms may slowly go away as well. Cinnamon is now being used as a great insulin balancer as well. It helps to keep blood sugars in range and helps with cravings as well. Cinnamon can be taken as a capsule or sprinkled on foods or in drinks daily. There are many other supplements that can help out such as a supplement called Fertility Blend. Vitex and chasteberry are also very beneficial.

For hair removal in the odd places that hair may show up, such as chin, face and neck, there are different options. One option is medication, another is waxing or plucking and yet another is either laser therapy or electrolysis. It depends on the severity of this symptom as to which method will work for you best. Electrolysis and laser therapy tend to be a bit pricey so many women only go this route if there symptoms are severe and if no other method has worked well for them.

Many women have had great success with alternative therapies as well as with medication and supplements. Acupuncture has worked wonders for many women. This procedure is done by inserting very thin, hollow needles into the skin at certain spots. It does not hurt and is not too expensive. Yoga and other forms of exercise and meditation have helped as well in conjunction with lifestyle changes and supplements.

Infertility hits many couples each year. It is more common than one might think. Women with PCOS may or may not experience infertility problems. Many have said that if they just lost enough weight, their cycles go to a normal state and pregnancy happens without any other form of infertility treatments. Others need metformin and/or ovulating drugs such as Clomid. If those things do not work, then an intrauterine insemination may be performed. This is where the sperm is shot right into the uterus by syringe. Once that option has been exhausted with no luck, then IVF may be the next step. That is where the egg and sperm are joined together outside of the uterus and then reintroduced into the uterus after conception has happened. There are many options and each option brings more variants of the option so no one should give up hope. Technology has made it possible to help the process along when help is needed.

A diagnosis of PCOS doesn't come easily. Many different types of blood test should be done as well as an ultrasound of the ovaries. A list of symptoms should also be taken into consideration. There is no cure for PCOS but there are things that can be done to help ease symptoms and keep a woman on the right track for health, which is an important thing to keep in mind. Being healthy is a number one priority for everyone.

PCOS brings along a whole array of new worries. If left untreated, a woman with PCOS can develop other health problems later on down the road. As well as the infertility, a woman with PCOS can experience high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. There is also an increased risk for endometrial cancer as well as ovarian cancer. This proves that keeping PCOS at bay is very important. Insulin resistance, which most PCOS sufferers have, leads to type II diabetes so taking care of the insulin resistance is key to keeping diabetes far away.

I was diagnosed with PCOS back in 1998, when my first child was just about to turn two. I was about 110 pounds and had only one outside symptom at the time, irregular periods. I had a sonogram done and my ovaries had a few small cysts, such as the ones that are found on the ovaries of someone with PCOS. No blood tests were done so I didn't quite believe that I had this disorder. I threw the diagnosis in the back of my head and moved on with my life. Fast forward to 2001 when I was about to get married and was trying to conceive. I went off of birth control pills and a few weeks later, felt pregnant. I had some blood tests done and found out that I was in fact pregnant. The HCG level was low so I was tested again two days later, only to find out the next day that I was no longer pregnant. I was told that I had something called a chemical pregnancy. That is when the egg and the sperm meet and the egg is fertilized. The next step in conception is to implant into the uterine lining. That didn't happen. My lining was not prepared to hold a pregnancy at that time. It wasn't thick enough. I was a little devastated, but thought that it was just a fluke and I would be pregnant in a month or two.

When four or five months went by and still no pregnancy, I started to get concerned. I wasn't getting my period and I was gaining weight, something that I never did before. I went from about 110 to 135 in a matter of two or three months and I wasn't eating any differently or exercising any less than before. I had a few tests run and had an ultrasound but still no diagnosis. Doctors gave me Clomid to induce ovulation and still that wasn't working for me. I decided it was time to get another ultrasound but by a different facility and technician and that was where it all became clear to me. During the sonogram, I looked at the technician and asked if she thought I might have PCOS. She said, I am not allowed to diagnose but I can suggest to the doctor what I think it is, but between us….you have PCOS. It was the first time that I felt that I saw the light. I went back to my doctor later that week and said OK, now where do we go from here. She handed me a prescription for Glucophage, the name brand for metformin. Two weeks later, I had another ultrasound to see what was going on in there. Boy was I surprised when the technician told me that I was about to ovulate the biggest and best egg ever, and without any fertility drugs. Two weeks later, I got my first period without any period inducing drugs. The excitement was too much to handle.

It was time to be released from my ob/gyn's care and sent to a specialist, a reproductive endocrinologist. He did a hysterosalpingogram,or HSG,to see if there were any blockages in my fallopian tubes. That was all clear, but many refer to it as cleaning out the pipes. There is a higher chance of pregnancy after having an HSG. I also had a post coital test done. That is where you have sex the night before the test and then the doctor takes a sample of mucous to see if there are any living sperm still there, which there should be. I didn't pass this test too well. The doctor said that he should see at least five or six and he only saw three. That could mean that my mucous was killing off the sperm so they didn't have a chance to make it to the egg to fertilize it. The solution for this problem was an intrauterine insemination, or IUI. I had the IUI done on Friday and again on Saturday and two weeks later, a positive pregnancy test stared back at me. I had five positive pregnancy tests in my bathroom at one point because of disbelief. After so many long months of trying to no avail, I was finally pregnant. In Feb of 2003, my second child, first son, JD, was born.

Doctors told me that because of all the trouble I went through to get pregnant, that if I wanted another child, I should just not try and schedule another IUI. The sooner the better I was told. We planned on having another IUI done in November or December 2003 so that I would have a September baby. My husband decided in September or October that he wasn't ready to do it all over again and he suggested that we wait until JD was about two or three. My daughter, Lexi, was six when JD was born. I agreed, reluctantly.

In early February 2004, when my period didn't arrive as planned, I started to worry that I was going back into having problems due to the absent PCOS. I decided that I should take a pregnancy test before calling the doctor because she was just going to ask me that anyway. I went to the store, got a test and came home and did it. I left it in the bathroom while waiting for the results and went back about five minutes later to see two lines. Wow…that meant that I was pregnant. Could this be true? I ran off to the store to get another test and that one was positive too. After everything that we went through to have the second child, it seemed almost impossible to not be trying and get my third child so easily. My third child, second boy, Ryder, was born in September. I got that September baby after all.

When Ryder was six months old, I found out that I was once again expecting, without really trying. We had decided that if it happened, it happened. My fourth child, third boy, Jesse, was born in December of 2005. He is my last. What still amazes me is that I was told that after my second child that I probably wouldn't be able to get pregnant without assistance and here I am now the happy mother to four wonderful kids.

If you are diagnosed with PCOS, don't let it get you down. Find a good endocrinologist and a good ob/gyn. If you are trying to get pregnant, find a good reproductive endocrinologist as well. Do your own research and keep an open mind about alternative therapies. I take cinnamon every day, with each meal. I exercise daily and stay on a lower carbohydrate diet. I keep my research fresh and new since new things come out every day. Educate yourself and help yourself, that is first and foremost with a condition as broad as this one. Just don't give up hope. A doctor once told me that almost everyone can get pregnant with a little help, regardless of the diagnosis. Keep the faith.