Pcos and Infertility - There Are Solutions to This Terrible Combination
Posted: Saturday, December 05, 2009
by Riley Andrews
PCOS, which is the acronym for polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a hormonal disorder linked to the human body's insulin resistance. It is a medical condition that increases the body's insulin sensitivity, or results in the increased production of insulin. To counteract the problem, the female body secretes androgens, which are hormones necessary to sustain male characteristics. While PCOS can lead to diabetes, PCOS and infertility are also interconnected.
In a woman's normal sexual cycle, small aggregation of cells knows as follicles develop inside the ovaries. Though each of these will contain an egg, only one of these will develop into a fertilizable egg. Once the egg matures, there will be a surge of LH, or luteinizing hormone, that triggers ovulation, which is the process by which the mature egg is released. In the case of women suffering from PCOS, the follicles fail to develop properly due to lack of sufficient female hormone. Some follicles become cysts, and sometimes none may develop into a mature egg.
In the images produced by scanning, these follicles appear as groups of pearls covering the ovary. Infertility treatment becomes necessary because, absence of ovulation results in the thickening of the uterus lining due to progesterone deficiency. Progesterone is typically produced during the rupture of ovarian follicles.
Early Detection of PCOS and Its Symptoms
Irregular menstruation is a symptom of PCOS. The problem can increase with age and may result in irregular ovulation or total lack of ovulation. Even though 5% to 10% of women of reproductive age may have the problem, the condition is diagnosed only in roughly one-fourth of them.
Though PCOS and infertility have a strong connection, some women manage to conceive even in between irregular ovulations. While with some women the only symptom of PCOS may be irregular menstruation, others may show symptoms like type 2 diabetes, a high insulin level, hair loss, hair growth on chest or back or face, or inexplicable weight gain.
PCOS Solutions
It is obvious that a woman with PCOS fails to conceive because she fails to ovulate. The simplest infertility treatment for the problem is rectifying the hormonal imbalance by reducing weight. In the case of drug therapy, the drug Metformin is recommended for women with PCOS so far as they do not have diabetes. The drug can make the body better receptive to the absorption of insulin, without actually lowering the blood sugar.
Another drug used for PCOS related infertility treatment is Clomid. Clomid functions by blocking the estrogen receptors of the brain. When the receptors fail to record the presence of estrogen, the brain remains under the illusion that the body's estrogen content is low. This presumption will result in the production of more FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), and LH (luteinizing hormone), which help in ovulation. Even so, pregnancy is seen to occur in only 30% to 40% of women who have used Clomid.
Other treatments for PCOS are IVM or invitro maturation, and IVF or in vitro fertilization. In the former, immature eggs are removed from the body, nurtured inside the laboratory, and later fertilized. In IVF, fully mature eggs are fertilized outside the body and later implanted into the uterus. In IVF, before the mature egg is thus fertilized, medication is often required to ensure the proper growth of the eggs into maturity. With IVM, the level of medication required is less as the egg is matured outside the body. So the procedure is more suitable for women whose bodies are less responsive to drugs.
Riley Andrews is the chief editor of InfertilityAnswersNow.com an information rich site that discusses the latest issues on infertility and the best ways to get pregnant. Here is a complimentary free 10-Part Email Mini Course on PCOS and Infertility and the Hidden Signs of Infertility and How to Overcome Them.
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