What Is PCOS? The Reproductive Disorder That Doctors (Wrongly) Try To Treat With The Pill

I had never considered PCOS (even though I knew something was wrong with me because I’d been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant for years) because I didn’t exhibit any of the major symptoms. But my doctor had proof in my ultrasound images — my ovaries were full of cysts.

The most common cause of female infertility, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is generally considered a hormonal disorder that affects the ovaries. However, others like Dr. Jolene Brighten and Dr. Andrea Dunaif say it’s more of a metabolic disorder that has hormonal side effects. This ambiguity is characteristic of the condition. There are still so many unknowns — from the cause to the cure — that it can be frustrating for the many women diagnosed with it.

What Is PCOS?

Basically, PCOS is an anovulatory condition — meaning that a woman doesn’t ovulate at all or ovulates irregularly. In a healthy cycle, after your period, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and estrogen trigger the development and the release of an egg from a follicle in your ovary. The follicle then forms what’s called the corpus luteum and produces progesterone. When the level of progesterone falls, you get your period, and the cycle begins again. 

But in women with PCOS, the egg doesn’t get released from the ovary and instead becomes a cyst (a fluid-filled sac). This cyst then produces androgens (a group of hormones present in high levels in men, including testosterone), at a much higher level than is normally found in a woman. The abnormally high level of androgens causes the other symptoms of PCOS and, together with the lack of progesterone, perpetuates the woman’s out of whack menstrual cycles.