Polycystic ovarian syndrome explained

How is it treated?
There is, as yet, no one single cure for PCOS. Doctors usually address symptoms according to how troublesome they are. Factors include:

Obesity. Women with PCOS are more likely to be obese than other women, because the high levels of insulin mean that regulating the body's sugar levels - and therefore weight - proves more difficult. However, losing weight if you have PCOS will help regulate your periods and in turn makes you more likely to ovulate, reducing your risk of heart disease and lowering your insulin levels.

Hirsutism and acne. For some women, the most bothersome symptom is excess facial and/or body hair, often dark and coarse. This symptom, as well as acne and oily skin, is caused by overproduction of androgens. If it is mild, most women use cosmetic removal such as bleaching, waxing or electrolysis to remove the hair. But if not, drug therapy can reduce the affect of 'male' hormones, such as testosterone. For those women who do not wish to become pregnant, the most convenient treatment is the oral contraceptive pill, which reduces the effect of androgens.

In more serious cases, the diuretic drug, spironolactone (Aldactone) blocks the action of testosterone at the hair cell and can clear oily skin and also make unwanted hair finer. Flutamide, a newer drug similar to spironolactone, may have severe side effects but can be used by some. Bear in mind if you're trying to conceive that an anti-androgen medication cannot be used because it can cross the placenta and cause defects in a male foetus.

For acne, spironolactone and oral contraceptive pills (which decrease ovarian androgen production) can be used together, although other medications may be prescribed for acne, such as oral or topical antibiotics. A steroid such as dexamethasone may be prescribed if the primary source of excess androgens appears to be the adrenal glands. Because they are used at very low doses, they do not cause the usual side effects associated with steroids.

With all these treatments it can take up to nine months to see effects on hair growth, and a year to achieve peak effect. The hair will still be there, but will generally grow more slowly and will be lighter and finer.