PCOS Symptoms Checklist: Are They On Your List?

PCOS is an acronym for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which is a quite common fertility related disease that can, but not necessary causes infertility. Some statistics claim that as much 10% of women worldwide is diagnosed with PCOS. If you are afraid you might have PCOS, bellow are a PCOS symptoms checklist you should pay attention to.

First of all, many women have different symptoms, some might not have them at all, some might have only one PCOS symptom, while other might suffer from several of them. PCOS is quite complicated disorder with many possible signs and PCOS symptoms. Most often women experience the rise in androgens, which are hormones which cause typically male characteristics, such as increased hair growth in strange places, or better said places not common for women. These places include face, back, toes, lower abdomen etc. Excessive hair growth as a PCOS symptoms is also known as PCOS related hirsutism. Opposite to PCOS excessive hair growth is hair loss. Hair loss due to PCOS often reminds of male pattern baldness.

When considering PCOS symptoms checklist woman should pay attention to her periods, and she should check whether she has irregular periods. Periods may be either infrequent and several months may pass between periods. Another possible symptom might be that woman is not ovulating at all which is known as anovulation or oligovulation. As many of you know ovulation means releasing a mature egg from the ovary. Ovulation and regular periods might be in close connection, for example, without ovulation, periods may be absent, but then again, it can happen that woman has regular periods, but does not ovulate.

PCOS symptoms checklist includes ovarian cysts, but only your obgyn can check whether you have problem with these. Besides not all cysts are policycstic. Women who suffer from PCOS often have problems with obesity and have big troubles losing weight. Often this is due insulin resistance and they are often considered pre-diabetic (type 2 diabetes). Women who suffer from PCOS and insulin related obesity must pay special attention to the PCOS diet. This problem is often related to problems with high cholesterol.

Sometimes PCOS can cause acne, and in some not so isolated cases patches of dark skin. The skin becomes dark, thickened and sort of velvety which is a sign of insulin resistance. This skin related problem can happen on the area behind the neck and on the thighs, but also on vulva. Woman suffering from PCOS must also pay attention if symptoms include excess flaps of skin, usually found in the armpit or groin. High blood pressure might often be a sign, and sometimes even sleep apnea or snoring.