What is PCOS?

PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome. It is a syndrome — a group of symptoms that occur together in a predictable pattern — that affects the endocrine system. This means that normal hormone cycles are disrupted, interfering with a woman's ovulation cycle. Hormones are responsible for various functions throughout the body, including regulating a woman's reproductive functions by ensuring normal development of eggs in the ovaries. It is not completely understood why or how the hormone cycles are disrupted by PCOS.

How common is PCOS?

PCOS is one of the most common hormonal disorders among women of childbearing age, the years from the onset of puberty or menstruation until menopause. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, about 5 percent of women in the United States have PCOS.

What complications are associated with it?

If left untreated, PCOS can put a woman at increased risk for many conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure and pregnancy-induced hypertension. It can also raise her odds of developing high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. PCOS also increases the risk of obesity, infertility,  endometrial cancer and sleep apnea (a condition in which your breathing stops and restarts several times during sleep).

What causes PCOS?