Polycystic ovarian syndrome also commonly referred to as PCOS is one of the leading factors in female infertility today. This condition arises when too much insulin is produced by a woman, which forces the body to likewise produce excessive amounts of androgens or male hormones. More often than not usually leads to type 2 diabetes for those who are insulin resistant.
During menstruation several follicles develop within the ovaries. The follicles contain eggs. During the menstrual cycle of all the immature eggs within the follicles, only one will be able to mature and reach the process of ovulation. The matured egg will induce the increase of LH levels, which releases it from the follicle and begin the process of ovulation.
For women suffering from PCOS, they lack the ability to produce female hormones necessary for ovulation. The follicles remain immature and would never develop to become mature eggs. Unfortunately, apart from not maturing these follicles become cysts instead. This condition can be seen using an ultrasound machine, which will show formations in the ovaries. These formations are the follicles who have failed to reach maturity. Outside the ovaries there is a formation that developed likewise but instead of follicles they are small cysts instead. Because there is no ovulation, no progesterone is present causing the uterus lining to thicken.
For women who have PCOS they will always experience irregular menstruation or in worst cases, none at all. This condition unfortunately gets worse as women get older. PCOS strikes about 5 to 10% of women of childbearing years and most of these women do not even know that they are suffering from this condition. Therefore only about a fourth of these women gets diagnosed or get treated from PCOS. For those lucky enough to be able to conceive, the chances of a normal pregnancy is often questionable without the help of a physician who specializes in this kind of problem. Symptoms may be different per woman and some see symptoms of hair loss or extreme hair growth; some become fat while others develop type II diabetes, pelvic pain or acne.
The main reason why PCOS causes infertility is its hindrance in allowing women to ovulate normally. Fortunately science has developed technology that can help rectify this problem. For some, losing weight is just the answer for treating this problem. Some PCOS conditions can even be addressed by certain medications known to rectify hormonal imbalances. Some take a more sensible and alternative approach to this type of infertility condition by availing of acupuncture treatment in Linwood which is slowly but surely becoming a popular method of treating female infertility including PCOS. Under a licensed and well-trained practitioner, PCOS can be a very easy condition to treat but will require patience on the patient since treatment might entail weeks or months to finish.