How to Know if You Have Pcos

Learn how PCOS is diagnosed, when to see your physician and how your doctor might exam you lot for PCOS.

Identifying PCOS

PCOS tin can be a complex status to place considering there are numerous symptoms, and you don't have to take all of them to exist diagnosed with PCOS. Very few women have the same set of symptoms, and the symptoms can change at different stages of your life.

The symptoms differ widely betwixt women, just the three main areas they bear on are:

fertility and reproductive health
metabolic health
psychological health.

Although at that place is no cure for PCOS, the good news is that PCOS is treatable. Nosotros know that our lifestyle (what we eat and how active we are) tin worsen or improve the symptoms of PCOS. With support from your medico and other health-care givers, at that place are many ways to manage your lifestyle and meliorate all aspects of PCOS.

Criteria for a diagnosis of PCOS

A diagnosis of PCOS tin exist made when at least 2 of the post-obit iii criteria are met:

1. Irregular periods or no periods

2. College levels of androgens are present in the blood (hyperandrogenism), shown by:

a blood exam, OR
symptoms such equally:
- excess facial or trunk hair growth
- scalp hair loss
- acne.

iii. Polycystic ovaries are visible on an ultrasound, meaning:

more than 20 follicles (partly adult eggs) are visible on ane or both ovaries or
the size of one or both ovaries is increased (more than 10ml).

You do not need to have an ultrasound if y'all have criteria 1 and 2.

In women younger than 20 years, ultrasounds are not recommended. This means that irregular periods and hyperandrogenism demand to be nowadays for a diagnosis of PCOS to be made.

A number of other conditions that could cause like symptoms of irregular periods or no periods need to be checked by your doctor and ruled out before a right diagnosis of PCOS tin exist confirmed.

PCOS booklet

Read more on PCOS in our booklet 'Agreement polycystic ovary syndrome: All yous need to know'

When to see your doctor

If you recollect you might have PCOS, you demand to meet your doctor.

Below are some of the tests your doctor might recommend to test for PCOS and to exclude other conditions. The signs and symptoms of PCOS can exist similar to other weather condition, so it is important to rule these out before a diagnosis of PCOS can be made.

Not all tests are necessary for every woman – tests will exist suggested based on your individual symptoms.

Diagnosis & tests

Medical history & examination

As office of the diagnosis, your doctor volition review your medical history and appraise your concrete symptoms, weight and BMI (body mass alphabetize).

Blood tests

Hormonal blood tests

Claret tests are used to assess the levels of androgens in your trunk. Blood tests for testosterone and complimentary androgen alphabetize (FAI) are the best tests for diagnosing whether you accept hyperandrogenism (high androgen levels).

Other blood tests that can be useful in identifying high androgen levels include:

sex hormone-bounden globulin (SHBG)
dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS)
androstenedione.

Blood tests also might be washed to assess the levels of other reproductive hormones in your body, as these can too affect your periods. These tin include testing your levels of:

oestradiol (oestrogen, the main female sexual activity hormone)
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
luteinising hormone (LH).

Blood tests to exclude other conditions that have like symptoms to PCOS might measure out the levels of:

thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
prolactin
hormones related to adrenal role (glands constitute above the kidney), eg, 17-hydroxyprogesterone.

Ultrasound

An ultrasound might exist carried out to provide an image (picture) of the uterus, ovaries and the pelvis. The paradigm shows whether at that place are any 'cysts' (partly developed eggs) on your ovaries and whether an ovary is enlarged. Information technology is also useful to assess the lining of the womb (endometrium), which may become thickened if periods are very irregular, which is a risk factor for womb cancer.

An ultrasound is non needed if periods are irregular and there are signs or measurements of high levels of androgens, and the adult female is anile less than 20 years. If there are very loftier levels of androgens or an unusual set of symptoms (for example, severe scalp hair loss or excess pilus growth, or failure to develop periods altogether) and so an ultrasound might still be necessary.

Transvaginal ultrasound

Transvaginal ultrasounds are performed simply on women who take been sexually active, otherwise an abdominal scan is done. A transvaginal ultrasound is a painless test with no radiation. Information technology uses a pen-shaped probe with an ultrasound sensor on the tip, which is inserted into the vagina. This produces a much clearer picture show than an abdominal ultrasound.

Abdominal ultrasound

In an abdominal ultrasound, the ovaries are viewed from the outside through the stomach wall.

Other tests

Assessing your chance of developing cardiovascular (heart) disease and diabetes is important when testing for PCOS because there are links between PCOS, insulin resistance and being overweight. Tests to appraise these risks can include:

cholesterol blood test
blood force per unit area
glucose metabolism/ tolerance blood exam.

If you take PCOS, you will need a cholesterol and diabetes test every ane-3 years, and a blood pressure check every year. If you accept risk factors such equally a family history of diabetes or previous abnormal cholesterol tests, you lot will need these tests more than often.

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Tests for other conditions

Other tests might exist needed to rule out weather condition of the adrenal glands, ovaries or pituitary gland (a small gland attached to the brain that controls a number of hormones in the trunk).

Testing adolescents for PCOS

It is difficult to diagnose PCOS in immature women during the first few years afterwards their periods (catamenia) commence. In adolescents, menstrual cycles can be irregular for reasons unrelated to PCOS, peculiarly in the showtime few years after periods kickoff. In the starting time year, periods are often irregular, and past the second year periods normally settle into a regular pattern.

In young women with PCOS, however, this does not happen. Instead, periods are either very close together (fewer than 21 days) or far apart (more than 45 days). If this irregularity continues after three years, this suggests PCOS might exist the cause.

When to test

Considering periods tin be irregular for other reasons during the start few years, it is all-time to wait until later on three years of irregular periods before assessing whether the cause is PCOS. Yet, if at that place are other bothersome symptoms, such equally backlog hair growth, acne or weight excess, an assessment for PCOS can exist made earlier.

In some adolescents, a number of the features of PCOS are present, but it is still not possible to make a definite diagnosis of PCOS. These immature women are regarded as 'at risk' of PCOS, and they volition have further follow-up assessments past their doctor.

Testing for PCOS when you take an oral contraceptive pill

Taking the oral contraceptive pill changes your reproductive hormone levels, so it is not possible to accurately measure your hormone levels if you lot are on the pill. To accurately mensurate androgen levels for a PCOS diagnosis, you might need to terminate the oral contraceptive pill for three months and, if necessary, apply other forms of contraception during this time. Your doctor is the all-time one to advise y'all nigh this.

PCOS fact sheet

Includes information on how to better PCOS symptoms and manage your long-term health.

This web page is designed to be informative and educational. Information technology is non intended to provide specific medical advice or replace advice from your health practitioner. The data above is based on current medical knowledge, evidence and practice equally at September 2019.

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Source: https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/pcos/how-is-pcos-diagnosed