PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a leading cause for female infertility around the world. It is very common and supposedly affects 8% to 10% of all females who are in their reproductive age(12-45 years old). Due to these facts infertility and pcos are two subjects that are spoken together a great deal.

Infertility and pcos are usually discussed together due to the fact that pcos affects ovulation, an important stage in the female reproductive process. Normally during ovulation a mature follicle or egg is produced by an ovary and unless the woman gets pregnant within 14 days her period is expected to happen. The polycystic ovaries in comparison contain many small antral follicles with eggs in them, and yet these follicles do not develop or mature properly resulting in no ovulation or period, thus creating a direct link between infertility and pcos.

The symptoms of women suffering from pocs are irregular menstrual cycles leading up to even a total lack of periods, onset of excess facial hair and body hair growth in teens or early twenties girls and gradual worsening of hair growth over several years. If anyone who has had these symptoms should be concerned about pcos and infertility in general.

Polycystic Ovaries develop when ovaries are simulated to produce male hormones. This can be caused by the excessive release of luteinizing hormone or through high levels of insulin in the blood stream. Most pcos patients tend to be either insulin resistant or obese. The common ways to check for these conditions would be to take a fasting biochemical screen and lipid profile. If your LH and Insulin levels are higher than normal values it could be an indication of having pcos and also a warning sign of infertility in the future.

The rate of infertility with pcos, due to polycystic ovaries can be very high. Women with pcos will release a mature egg very rarely or never properly ovulate at all. This brings the chances of conceiving a down a great deal resulting near infertility. However by taking correct treatment the patients can improve these odds considerably. There are a number of treatments available for people suffering from infertility due to pcos to undergo.

The most common method is by inducing ovulation. These range from treatment using Clomid, clomiphene citrate, Metformin and also IVF or In Vitro Fertilization. These methods have a success rate ranging from 15% to 60% in reducing pcos and decreasing infertility. These treatments have a varied cost levels with prices ranging from 10-100$ for Clomid medication to 25,000$ for In Vitro Fertilization. All these treatments are for pcos patients but one has to first identify exactly what method will be suitable for them before proceeding to take them.