Polycystic ovary syndrome, or polycystic ovaries, is not a very common condition among women. Only one in twenty women have this condition, yet it is serious enough to warrant basic knowledge for any woman of childbearing age.

The medical term for polycystic ovarian syndrome is Stein-Leventhal syndrome. It is caused by hormonal imbalances in the body, which in turn causes the formation of cysts on the ovaries. When diagnosing the condition, doctors would rely primarily on cyst formation and not just their presence.

Having polycystic ovaries can cause many problems for women. For one thing, they would be facing problems getting pregnant. It is actually considered as one of the leading causes of infertility in women.

So how do you detect this condition? Read on to find out.

There are a variety of symptoms that you can look out for. The condition can present in the early stages of adolescence with irregular menstrual periods. Having constant and irregular menstrual periods is a sure sign that a woman’s body is experiencing imbalances in hormone production, either due to stress or other internal factors.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, can also be related to high levels of androgens in the body. This type of hormone is found in men, but women also have it, although in smaller amounts. An increase in androgens in your system will cause a variety of symptoms related to men. This includes male pattern baldness, increased hair growth, especially on the body or hirsutism, and acne.

Other symptoms of PCOS include weight gain, oily skin, increased insulin levels, dandruff, increased cholesterol levels, increased blood pressure, and the development of multiple cysts on the ovaries.

When diagnosing polycystic ovaries, your doctor would put you through a variety of tests to rule out other conditions with the same symptoms. Other diseases with almost the same symptoms would be hypothyroidism and increased prolactin hormones.

One of those tests would be a blood test that would measure your hormone levels. Serum tests would also determine the levels of testosterone and DHEA in your body. Women who are positive for polycystic ovary syndrome would exhibit elevated levels of these.

Another test for PCOS would be ultrasound or ultrasonography. This procedure would allow the doctor to visualize the cysts on your ovaries. However, this cannot be considered as a confirmatory procedure since you may have cysts, but not PCOS. Polycystic ovary syndrome generally depends on hormone levels. There are no special preparations involved in this procedure, so the patient need not worry. There is no pain involved too.

Other more precise imaging tests would be computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. They could make use of X-rays and dyes which could lead to some degree of complications. Allergy to dyes is very common and a hypoallergenic dye is also available.

PCOS could cause many complications for women of childbearing age. It is best to have the condition diagnosed early in order to have the best treatment available.