Polycystic ovary syndrome

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome

A disease of the ovaries in women that has various impacts on female hormones. As the name suggests, the disease is caused by frequent cysts on the ovaries.

Symptoms of Polycystic ovary syndrome

• Menstrual and fertility problems
  • Irregular periods
  • Absent periods
  • Irregular bleeding
  • Infrequent ovulation

See full list of 59 symptoms of Polycystic ovary syndrome

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Medical Textbooks Online about Polycystic ovary syndrome

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Polycystic ovary syndrome

• Pelvic exam
• Vaginal ultrasound
• Abdominal ultrasound
• Testosterone blood test
• Blood tests for androgens

See full list of 10 diagnostic tests for Polycystic ovary syndrome

Wrongly Diagnosed with Polycystic ovary syndrome?

• Misdiagnosis of Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Failure to diagnose Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Underlying causes of Polycystic ovary syndrome (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Polycystic ovary syndrome

Misdiagnosis and Polycystic ovary syndrome

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Causes of Polycystic ovary syndrome

Read more about causes of Polycystic ovary syndrome.

More information about causes of Polycystic ovary syndrome:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Polycystic ovary syndrome (1 listings)
• Polycystic ovary syndrome as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Polycystic ovary syndrome

Treatments for Polycystic ovary syndrome

• Birth control pills - suppresses ovulation.
• Progestins
• Insulin-sensitizing medications
• Weight control
• Low-carbo diet

See full list of 20 treatments for Polycystic ovary syndrome

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Prognosis for Polycystic ovary syndrome

Prognosis for Polycystic ovary syndrome: good response to treatment but recurrences often occur

More about prognosis of Polycystic ovary syndrome

Reseach about Polycystic ovary syndrome

Visit our research pages for current research about Polycystic ovary syndrome treatments.

Clinical Trials for Polycystic ovary syndrome

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Polycystic ovary syndrome include:

• Metformin in Assisted Reproduction - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Metformin / Placebo treatment for 4 months
• Prospective Study of Patients With Hirsutism - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Body Composition, Glucose Metabolism, Insulin Resistance and Gene Expression in Muscle Cells in Healthy Overweight Women - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• The Genetics of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Sleep Apnea - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - depot leuprolide plus estrogen/progestin replacement,pioglitazone

See full list of 29 Clinical Trials for Polycystic ovary syndrome

Statistics for Polycystic ovary syndrome

• Medical statistics for Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Death and Mortality statistics for Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Society statistics for Polycystic ovary syndrome

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Article Excerpts about Polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a syndrome in which the ovaries are enlarged and have several fluid-filled sacs or cysts. These cysts may look like a string of pearls or a pearl necklace. A woman can develop one cyst or many cysts. Polycystic ovaries are usually 1.5 to 3 times larger than normal. Women with PCOS may experience a number of other symptoms as well. PCOS is a leading cause of infertility and is the most common reproductive syndrome in women of childbearing age. (Source: excerpt from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): NWHIC)

Definitions of Polycystic ovary syndrome:

Clinical symptom complex characterized by presence of multiple cysts on the ovaries, oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, anovulation and regularly associated with excessive amounts of body hair (hirsuitism), excessive body weight, infertility and insulin resistance. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Polycystic ovary syndrome is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Polycystic ovary syndrome, or a subtype of Polycystic ovary syndrome, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Polycystic ovary syndrome as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet