Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at higher risk for certain problems or complications during pregnancy. In addition, infants born to mothers with PCOS are at higher risk of spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit or dying before, during, or right after birth.
Women with PCOS may be at higher risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, and endometrial cancer. The types of treatment for PCOS may depend on whether or not a woman plans to become pregnant. Women who plan to become pregnant in the future may take different kinds of medications.
PCOS has strong ties to conditions that put people at higher risk for severe COVID-19, like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Learn more about comorbidities.
Recent studies have shown that women who were diagnosed as having PCOS 30 years ago have a completely normal life expectancy. An inspection of more than 700 death certificates from women with PCOS has shown that there is no excess risk of cancer in any organ or of heart disease.
If you have PCOS, you might struggle to get pregnant. Fortunately, with lifestyle changes or infertility treatment, most people with PCOS can become pregnant. Talk to your doctor or fertility specialist for individual advice for your situation.
PCOS often runs in families. Up to 70 percent of daughters of women with PCOS also develop it, but genetic variation doesn't fully explain the high incidence within families—some genome-wide association studies of PCOS susceptibility reckon genetics explains less than 10 percent of the condition's heritability.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) can cause recurrent miscarriages because of high levels of testosterone. PCOS-related insulin resistance can also affect the lining of your uterus. Bacterial infections can live in your or your partner's genital tracts.
Many women with PCOS find that their menstrual cycles become more regular as they get closer to menopause. However, their PCOS hormonal imbalance does not change with age, so they may continue to have symptoms of PCOS.
Women with PCOS can develop serious health problems, especially if they are overweight: Diabetes—more than half of women with PCOS develop type 2 diabetes by age 40.
Unmanaged PCOS can impact short and long term health. It's associated with type 2 diabetes, infertility, cardiovascular disease, obesity, sleep apnea (disrupted breathing in sleep), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and depression (9-11). Early diagnosis and treatment can help reduce these risks significantly.
As previously stated, the shape of a PCOS belly differs from other types of weight gain. It often appears large and bloated but can also be small and round, depending on genetics and other factors. The PCOS belly involves the accumulation of visceral fat in the lower abdomen and typically feels firm to the touch.
The elimination of immune system balance (homeostasis) that's associated with PCOS may lead to a weakening of immune responses.
Is PCOS an autoimmune disease? Regardless of their similarities, technically, PCOS is not an autoimmune disease, it is an endocrine disorder. However, whether you have PCOS or autoimmune disease working on your immune system, blood sugar regulation, and gut health seem like a good way to manage your symptoms.
So women with PCOS are more likely to have trouble conceiving than other women. While most women who have PCOS become pregnant, they often take longer to fall pregnant and are more likely to need fertility treatment than women without PCOS.
Women with PCOS may be more likely to have multiples (twins, or more). One study found that while the multiple pregnancy rate is 1.1% in the average population, it is 9.1% for women with PCOS patients.
Lea Michele
The Glee star has opened up about being diagnosed with PCOS after experiencing severe acne and fluctuating weight. “The side effects [of PCOS] can be brutal — like weight gain and bad skin,” Lea shared with Health. “I went to a great doctor, and the minute she looked at me, she was like, 'Oh, you have PCOS.
Myth #2: If You Lose Weight, You Can Get Rid of PCOS
Unfortunately, there is no cure for PCOS, but overweight and obese women can help balance their hormone levels by losing weight.
Women with PCOS are more likely to develop certain serious health problems. These include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, problems with the heart and blood vessels, and uterine cancer. Women with PCOS often have problems with their ability to get pregnant (fertility).
As a result, PCOS is associated with reduced fertility. Age is a key factor in infertility. After the age of 35, a woman's fertility decreases. Some studies suggest that age-related decline (ARD) in fertility is slower in women with PCOS.
In a person with PCOS, menopause may occur an average of 2–4 years later than in those without PCOS. Research suggests that, even after menopause, people with PCOS continue to have different measures of sex hormones than those without. During menopause, a person may experience symptoms of both PCOS and menopause.
When the congenital abnormalities were analysed by the type of malformation, cardiovascular and urogenital malformations were more common in the offspring of women with PCOS; cardiovascular (1.5% compared with 1.0%, OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.01–1.87) and urogenital defects (2.0% compared with 1.4% OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03–1.81).
In fact, research has suggested that women with PCOS are more likely to have a miscarriage with 30-50% of PCOS women likely to miscarry compared to 10-15% of women without PCOS.
In addition, once a pregnancy is achieved, spontaneous miscarriages can also be observed more frequently in PCOS patients; the risk has been reported to range from 42 to 73% [2]. Miscarriage is among the most common complications during pregnancy and can be sporadic or recurrent [4].
Researchers have found evidence that chronic disease in either a mother or father can create unfavourable conditions in the womb that are associated with the development of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in daughters.