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Hope for women struggling with PCOS and infertility
If you have polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, you may be worried about your fertility, either currently or in the future. PCOS and infertility are linked, so if you’re planning to have a child now or in the future, it’s important to understand the effect of PCOS on fertility and to get the help that you need from our Texas PCOS specialists.
The good news is that patients with PCOS often have a high egg count. However, the hormonal dysregulation underlying PCOS often leads to irregular ovulation, and subsequently, irregular periods. So rather than one egg growing and releasing each month, you may go several months without this occurring.
PCOS
The link between PCOS and infertility
To have a chance at getting pregnant each month, an egg must be released. With PCOS, this release, called ovulation, is often absent or inconsistent. If you go several months without releasing an egg, you have a fraction of the chances for pregnancy simply because there is no egg available to be fertilized.
However, lack of ovulation isn’t the only effect of PCOS on fertility. If you do become pregnant, PCOS can increase your risk of miscarriage, preterm delivery, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Patients with PCOS are also more likely to gain excessive weight in pregnancy, which then further increases all of these other risks.
In addition to many physical health issues and the worrisome relationship between PCOS and infertility, patients with PCOS are also more likely to experience mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety. These often worsen during the perinatal period, which is the time from when conception occurs to one to two years after giving birth.
Help for women worried about the effect of PCOS on fertility
The link between PCOS and infertility can feel scary to women who are interesting in having children, but the good news is that our Texas PCOS specialists can minimize these risks and prevent many of these issues. There are many things you can do to help regulate your ovulation and optimize your metabolic and cardiovascular health with PCOS.
Together, we will discuss your bothersome symptoms, periods, reproductive goals, diet, exercise, sleep and emotional health. Lifestyle changes and/or medications can help with the underlying hormonal dysfunction of PCOS. By working to correct the underlying causes of PCOS, you may be able to achieve ovulation naturally.
Depending on your goals, letrozole (Femara) is a medication that may be used to help you ovulate, and it works very well with PCOS. In addition to helping regulate your periods, we will also optimize your general health.
The time to get help for polycystic ovary syndrome is now
We will work together to make sure we address both your physical and mental health, both for your current quality of life, and to make sure you have a healthy pregnancy, and ultimately, baby – whether that is in the near or distant future.
You may be hesitant to reach out, but the earlier we start working on this, the better! Contact our Texas PCOS specialists to learn more about the link between PCOS and infertility, and get on the path to feeling better and minimizing the effect of PCOS on fertility.
