Causes and Symptoms of PCOS
Thinking you may have PCOS? The symptoms of PCOS can be confusing. Some are present in other disorders, while others may only appear in a percentage of women but not all. Our symptoms checklist may help you to find out. Here are a few of the most common symptoms experienced by women with PCOS:
Should you see a doctor about your symptoms?
Yes. If you have any or several of the above symptoms and/or have a family history of PCOS, you should see your doctor even if you're not currently trying to get pregnant. PCOS can affect your life and your health whether you'd like to have children in the future or not. So get checked out now.
Your doctor may send you for blood work, including a full metabolic panel and hormonal panel. He or she may inspect your skin for skin tags or dark patches. She should also take a full medical history and give you a basic health once-over.
If your doctor diagnoses PCOS, start drug and/or lifestyle therapies as recommended by your doctor; don't delay. Your quality of life will significantly improve with treatment of your PCOS.
What about specialists, such as a reproductive endocrinologist (RE)?
There's no way to know whether you'll need a specialist until you see your primary care physician or OB/gyn for tests. Your condition may be mild and controllable with standard medicine. Or it may be more complex than that. If your doctor does refer you to a specialist, don't feel your case must be "extra-serious." Your doctor may just feel inadequate to take care of a PCOS patient. She is doing the right thing in referring you to the experts who know and regularly treat this disease.
Photo: IITA Image Library
- irregular or skipped periods
- very heavy bleeding during periods
- excess body hair (hirsutism)
- loss/thinning of scalp hair
- acne/oily skin
- depression
- weight gain or difficulty losing weight
- repeated miscarriages
- infertility
- insulin resistance
- skin tags
- dark, velvety skin patches, especially on underarms, neck and groin
- genetics; your mother, sister, aunt or grandmother may have had PCOS or any of its symptoms, for example
- an underlying hormonal imbalance, particularly an excess of androgens, which are typically less in healthy females
- excess insulin/pre-diabetes/Type II diabetes
- obesity tied to insulin resistance
Should you see a doctor about your symptoms?
Yes. If you have any or several of the above symptoms and/or have a family history of PCOS, you should see your doctor even if you're not currently trying to get pregnant. PCOS can affect your life and your health whether you'd like to have children in the future or not. So get checked out now.
Your doctor may send you for blood work, including a full metabolic panel and hormonal panel. He or she may inspect your skin for skin tags or dark patches. She should also take a full medical history and give you a basic health once-over.
If your doctor diagnoses PCOS, start drug and/or lifestyle therapies as recommended by your doctor; don't delay. Your quality of life will significantly improve with treatment of your PCOS.
What about specialists, such as a reproductive endocrinologist (RE)?
There's no way to know whether you'll need a specialist until you see your primary care physician or OB/gyn for tests. Your condition may be mild and controllable with standard medicine. Or it may be more complex than that. If your doctor does refer you to a specialist, don't feel your case must be "extra-serious." Your doctor may just feel inadequate to take care of a PCOS patient. She is doing the right thing in referring you to the experts who know and regularly treat this disease.
Photo: IITA Image Library