New insights into polycystic ovary syndrome reveal more causes for this common but misunderstood general condition, which may lead to new treatments
health
January 23, 2023
Owen Ghent
I was 19 and my face was raging with acne when the dermatologist started asking questions that seemed to have nothing to do with my skin. No body hair?” he asked. “Possible polycystic ovary syndrome,” he concluded. I didn’t understand what he was talking about. “It might make it harder to have children,” he said, looking at me.
I stumbled to my family doctor, who performed blood tests and an ultrasound of my ovaries, confirming I had polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). However, she admitted that she didn’t know much about it, leaving me confused and distressed about this mysterious condition that suddenly struck me.
Many of my friends tell of similar experiences. PCOS is the most common hormonal condition among women from her 18 to her 45 and despite being the leading cause of infertility, what it really is or what it does against it. It was difficult to get a clear answer on what to do.
However, 17 years after my diagnosis, the tide is turning. Researchers have finally put together the causes of PCOS and are taking it seriously as a condition that not only affects the ovaries, but also has cardiovascular, metabolic and psychological consequences. It is conditioned to get it (see “Misleading Monikers” on page 45). Moreover, this clear understanding is opening the way to new therapies.
The first physicians to characterize PCOS were Irving Stein and Michael Leventhal of Northwestern University in Chicago. In 1935 they published…
