Some women start seeing signs and symptoms of PCOS around the time of their first menstrual period during puberty. Others only discover they have PCOS when they’ve had trouble getting pregnant.
Sometimes PCOS develops later in response to overweight.
If you have developed PCOS then signs and symptoms usually become apparent during the early 20s or your late teens.
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The most common symptoms of PCOS are:
- Heavy Bleeding
When uterine lining builds up for a longer period of time then periods you do get will be heavier than normal.
- Irregular Periods/ No periods
Lack of ovulation prevents the uterus lining from shedding every month. Some women with PCOS get less than eight periods a year.
- Infertility
PCOS negatively impacts fertility because women with PCOS don’t ovulate or release an egg each month. Overproduction of estrogen and testosterone can affect the quality of an egg. Which makes a woman infertile.
- Mood changes
As the mind and body are interlinked. Hormonal fluctuations are likely to bring about mood swings or emotional instability.
- Pelvic pain
PCOS is caused by immature follicles that lead to hormonal imbalance. Which can make periods very painful, causing cramping and bloating.
- Skin tags
These are small excess flaps of skin in the neck and armpits area.
- Hair growth
Excess hair growth is called hirsutism in which women with PCOS have hair on their face, chin, chest, or the parts of the body where men usually have hair.
According to research Hirsutismaffects more than 70% of women with PCOS.
- Acne
Male hormones can make the skin oilier than usual and cause breakouts on the face, chest, and upper back.
- Male pattern baldness
The hair on the scalp gets thinner and maybe fall out.
- Headache
Hormonal Imbalance can trigger headaches in women with PCOS.
- Weight gain
More than 80% of women with PCOS are overweight and find difficulty in losing weight.
- Darkening of skin
Dark patches of skin can form in body creases like those on the neck and under breasts.
- Sleep Problems
Women with PCOS often report poor sleep Problems such as insomnia. In this condition, a person will stop breathing for short periods of time during sleep.
When to See a Doctor?
See your doctor if you have
- · Missed or irregular periods.
- · Had trouble getting pregnant for more than 12 months.
- · Symptoms of Diabetes such as blurred vision, excess hunger, or thirst, and unexplained weight loss.
Not a single test can diagnose PCOS. Your doctor may ask about symptoms and medical history and do a physical exam or different tests.
Doctors typically diagnose PCOS in a woman if she has at least two of these three symptoms.
- · Cysts in the Ovaries
- · Excess of Androgen levels
- · Irregular Periods
· Your doctor may ask whether you have had symptoms of acne, hair growth, or weight gain.
- Pelvic Ultrasound: This test uses sound waves to examine your ovaries for cysts and check the thickness of the lining of your uterus (endometrium).
- Physical exam: Your doctor will measure your blood pressure, waist size, and IBM (body mass index).
- They will also look at the extra hair growth or any hair loss or signs of other health conditions such as Diabetes or enlarged thyroid gland.
- Blood tests: Blood tests check your androgen (male hormone) levels. Your doctor may also test your insulin, thyroid disease, and cholesterol levels.
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