PCOS: what's the deal?

A lot of people don't really know what polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is and it's not always simple to explain! The thing to remember is that it's an umbrella term: the syndrome houses a lot of symptoms and not everyone with PCOS will have all of them, but that doesn't make them any less valid as part of your life with the condition.

Broadly speaking, PCOS is an endocrine (hormonal) disorder usually characterised by at least two of the following (taken from NHS Direct):

• "polycystic ovaries" - seen on an ultrasound scan your GP might have sent you for
• high androgen ("male hormone") levels - shown by blood tests
• signs you're not ovulating regularly - usually absent or infrequent periods but extremely heavy periods can also be a sign of this

Common symptoms include: irregular/absent periods, weight gain and carrying excess weight around your tummy, excess body and facial hair (hirsutism), loss of hair from your head, fertility problems, acne.

You might also have pelvic pain from the enlarged ovaries (either all the time or mainly during sex), depression and/or anxiety, signs of high insulin levels (e.g. skin tags, velvety darkening of the skin on your neck or armpits) and probably other symptoms too.

For me, the symptoms that I find to be the biggest struggle are chronic pelvic pain and excess hair. I often find that PCOS forums make me feel very isolated when I am having a bad patch because not many people seem to suffer with pain as part of their PCOS. It's important to remember that PCOS is different for all of us and you shouldn't feel alone just because you have a less common symptom!