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 is one of the most common contributing factors responsible for infertility. However, natural conception is possible. Making changes to your diet and lifestyle are some of the simplest ways to boost your odds. Women with PCOS who have a healthy weight are more likely to get pregnant than those who aren't.
About 75% to 80% women with PCOS will ovulate after CC, and a conception rate of 22% per cycle has been reported.
If you have PCOS, you can still expect to conceive within a year (or even less) as long as you are ovulating normally and have no other risk factors for infertility. If you do, it may take longer or require the input of a fertility specialist.
Women with PCOS often experience cycles in which ovulation does not occur, but the good news is that there is an easy way to confirm ovulation from the comfort of home. PdG tests measure a urine marker of the hormone progesterone. A presence of PdG after ovulation confirms that ovulation did in fact occur.
Best age to get pregnant with PCOS
The best time for women with PCOS to get pregnant is before they turn 30. It's possible to conceive up to the age of 37, but fertility declines after the age of 32 with steeper decline occurring after age 37.
PCOS and twins
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.
PCOS can be associated with a range of symptoms including irregular periods and difficulties getting pregnant. Most women with PCOS can conceive, however it may take them a little longer to become pregnant. Eating healthy meals, exercising regularly and generally staying healthy is the best way to reduce your symptoms.
Pregnancy is totally possible with PCOS.
Firstly, many people with PCOS ovulate sometimes, though it may be irregular (with cycles often lasting longer than 35 days). If there's ovulation, there's a chance at pregnancy—with PCOS, it may just take longer, because ovulation isn't as frequent.
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.
The risk for pregnancy and neonatal complications are high in women with PCOS, which often leads to cesarean or C-section delivery. In an observational study involving 9,068 women with PCOS, 27.7% of PCOS births were delivered by cesarean section compared with 23.7% of controls.
The highest odds of natural conception for women with PCOS remain before the age of 35, provided if ovulation happens frequently and there are no preconditions the other partner suffers from. If primary parameters remain well in check, conception can happen within a year's time.
Normally, ovarian follicles contain egg cells, which are released during ovulation. In polycystic ovary syndrome, abnormal hormone levels prevent follicles from growing and maturing to release egg cells. Instead, these immature follicles accumulate in the ovaries. Affected women can have 12 or more of these follicles.
Typically, a woman who is 37 or younger will reach the desired number of eggs after two egg freezing cycles. Because women with PCOS typically have more eggs, it is likely that they will require fewer cycles to achieve the desired number of eggs.
Does PCOS cause poor egg/embryo quality? It is an undeniable fact that women with PCOS undergoing IVF are commonly found to have poorly developed (“dysmorphic”) eggs, with reduced fertilization potential and yielding “poor quality embryos”.
Results: No significant difference in sex ratio was detected between PCOS and controls, even if it resulted significantly different in the full-blown and non-PCO phenotypes.
In most cases, this release of eggs occurs about 2 weeks after the start of a menstrual period. In many women with PCOS, mature eggs are not released. Instead, they stay in the ovaries with a small amount of fluid (cyst) around them. The affected ovary may be slightly enlarged.
Ovulation induction (OI) is the first line of medical treatment in getting pregnant with PCOS. Your doctor may prescribe you a hormone medication (tablets or injections) to stimulate the ovaries for the egg to release and fertilize, either during intercourse or through intra-uterine insemination (IUI).
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown. There's evidence that genetics play a role. Several other factors, most importantly obesity, also play a role in causing PCOS: Higher levels of male hormones called androgens: High androgen levels prevent your ovaries from releasing eggs, which causes irregular menstrual cycles.
Symptoms: there are no noticeable symptoms in around half of women with the condition, and there is usually no vaginal soreness or itching. Symptoms may include a greyish-white, thin and watery vaginal discharge with a strong fishy smell, especially after sex.
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.
Polycystic ovary syndrome and spontaneous miscarriage
PCOS women are at risk of EPL, defined clinically as first trimester miscarriage. EPL occurs in 30 to 50% of PCOS women compared with 10 to 15% of normal women. [12,13] The EPL rate in PCOS women has been difficult to establish due to several confounding factors.
PCOS after pregnancy
It is important to remember that some of the symptoms of PCOS, such as hormonal imbalance and associated weight gain, can return and even worsen after pregnancy – and that being pregnant and successfully giving birth does not mean that PCOS has gone away.