Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
PCOS ( Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome ) in Adults
PCOS is a diagnosis that is loosely made , not strictly always correct and has major implications in terms of immediate , short term and long term care .
I recently presented our work at the American Endocrine Society Annual Scientific meeting , reviewing the types of patients being referred to our University clinic with a presumption of PCOS , and the results ,while in keeping with internationally published literature were nonetheless startling .
Almost half of the patients did not have PCOS , but an entirely different underlying disorder . Almost one third had a normal or lean body weight , in contrast to the perception that all PCOS women are overweight .
The diagnosis rests on the presence of minimally two out of three criteria that include
- Less than 8 or more than 15 periods in a calendar year
- Excess hair ( hirsutism ) or on blood testing an elevation in androgen levels
- Poly cystic ovaries with very clearly defined radiological characteristics .
- PCOS is a diagnosis of exclusion , and by that I mean that have any 2 of the above 3 criteria does NOT automatically infer a diagnosis of PCOS .
- Equally the presence of poly cystic ovaries ( PCO) alone does not infer a diagnosis of poly cystic ovaries (PCOS).
