Most women facing fertility issues are diagnosed with PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. PCOS is a common hormonal condition. It causes irregular menstrual cycle, excess and coarse hair growth, acne and infertility. Stress and an unhealthy lifestyle worsen the PCOS condition.

Early PCOS diagnosis helps women fight many other complications that arise later in life like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, liver inflammation and more.

The exact PCOS causes are not known yet. But there are some general conditions that lead to PCOS.

Insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that allows cells to break down sugar, and utilize the energy produced. But when the cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, two things happen. The blood sugar levels in the body rise and the body also starts to produce more insulin.

This excess insulin causes the ovaries to produce androgen which is essentially a male hormone. This is present in the female body in lesser quantity. But when found in higher amounts, this hormone interferes with the development of the follicles and prevents normal ovulation.

The insulin resistance and excess sugar in the body lead to weight gain. This weight gain in turn worsens the PCOS symptoms as excess fat leads to more production of insulin. Hence, it becomes a cyclical process that keeps getting worse. One way to arrest this issue is to start eating healthy, exercising more and managing stress levels. This helps in losing weight and reversing the effects of PCOS.

The abnormally high levels of androgen results in excess hair (dark and coarse) growth and acne.

Low-grade inflammation. Under normal circumstances our body’s natural immune system, reacts to foreign substance and produces more white blood cells in order to fight it. Women with PCOS generally display markers for inflammation like oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines and white blood cells called lymphocytes and monocytes. Inflammation in the body stimulates polycystic ovaries to produce androgens. All of this together leads to heart and blood vessel problems.

Imbalance of hormones. Women with PCOS display hormone production which is not normal.

High levels of testosterone – though this is found more in males, women also produce it in smaller amounts.

High levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) – this normally stimulates ovulation but has an adverse effect on the ovaries if found in higher quantities.

Reduced sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) – this is protein that binds to testosterone to reduce its effect. It creates an abnormal environment as testosterone is in high quantities and SHBG is in lower quantities making the effect of testosterone even more pronounced.

High levels of prolactin – this is a hormone that stimulates the breast glands to produce milk in pregnancy. But in this case, it is produced even when fertility of the woman is in question.

Heredity. PCOS is seen to be passed down generations. If the mother, sister or aunt have PCOS, the risk of the woman developing it is really high.