PCOS and Infertility
One of the main causes of infertility in women is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
Some studies show that women’s bodies are producing higher than normal androgen (male hormone) levels because of an excess production of insulin.
Most women that suffer from PCOS are also insulin resistant and this can have the flow on effect of developing diabetes as well.
With a normal menstrual cycle, the ovaries have several follicles that develop and within each follicle there is an egg.
If the menstrual cycle unfold normally then one of these follicles will remain to, during ovulation, bring forth an egg.
When the Luteal Hormone (LH) levels rise, the matured egg will burst forth from the respective follicle and ovulation will follow.
When the necessary levels of female hormones are lacking, that is needed for ovulation, due to PCOS, then the eggs do not mature.
It is then that some or most follicles have the potential to develop into cysts.
These cysts, due to PCOS, sometime have the look of what is called a “string of pearls” when the ovaries are examined with ultra sound.
It is the underdeveloped follicles that look like a “string of pearls” and the outside of the ovaries will also be covered with several small cysts.
The progesterone that is needed to cause the thickening of the uterus doesn’t happen because ovulation isn’t forth coming.
Between 5 and 10 percent of childbearing age women suffer from PCOS.
Some of the first signs of PCOS can be irregular or absence of the period as well as an absence of ovulation or no ovulation at all.
The symptoms of PCOS can also become worse with age.
Less than 25% of women with PCOS aren’t even aware that they have PCOS.
Luckily some PCOS sufferers does fall pregnant if they have an irregular ovulation cycle.
While some women’s only symptom of PCOS is an irregular period, others might suffer from an increase growth of hair on the back, face or chest.
Other symptoms might be thinning of hair, high levels of insulin, pelvic pain, acne and obesity.
For some women, just by losing weight, their PCOS symptoms improve due to the improvement in the hormone levels and they are then able to conceive because they start ovulating.
Some doctors treat PCOS with the help of Metformin.
Metformin help with the absorption of insulin and is safe even for diabetics.
When the fertility drug Clomid is used it tricks the brain into thinking that the estrogen levels are low.
More FSH and LH hormones are then produced and ovulation occur.
Unfortunately only between 30 to 40% of women that ovulate from their Clomid treatment will have a successful pregnancy.
Another treatment for women with infertility, due to PCOS, is In Vitro Maturation (IVM).
Mostly used for PCOS sufferers that don’t respond to drug treatments, IVM is the harvesting of the immature eggs.
These immature eggs are then artificially matured in a laboratory.
The matured eggs are then used for IVF where they are further developed, then fertilized and implanted into the woman’s uterus for pregnancy.
So even woman with PCOS can become pregnant even though it produce its own set of problems to address.
