🌸 PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
📝 Last reviewed: August 2026
| In brief | A common hormone imbalance in women of childbearing age causing irregular periods, excess hair growth and often weight gain. |
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| Category | Women's Health |
🔍 What causes it
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown, but it often runs in families and is closely tied to insulin resistance. When the body needs extra insulin, the ovaries tend to make more male hormones (androgens), and the balance of estrogen and progesterone is disrupted. Eggs may then fail to release each month, leaving small fluid-filled cysts on the ovaries. Lifestyle and weight play a part too.
⚠️ Key symptoms
- Irregular, missed or very light periods
- Extra facial and body hair where men usually grow it
- Acne on the face, chest or upper back
- Thinning of the hair on the scalp
- Weight gain that is hard to shift, often around the middle
💊 Treatment
There is no cure, but PCOS is very manageable. Birth control pills can regulate periods and calm the effects of excess androgens, while metformin improves insulin resistance and other medicines may support ovulation when pregnancy is the goal. Modest weight loss, regular exercise and a balanced diet with fewer sugary foods ease symptoms and lower the long-term risk of diabetes and heart disease. Treatment is individual — see a gynecologist or endocrinologist to build a plan around your goals.
🛡️ Prevention
PCOS cannot always be prevented, since family history plays a part. Keeping a healthy weight, staying active and eating a balanced diet low in added sugar from an early age reduce insulin resistance and can keep symptoms milder. Regular check-ups also catch early the diabetes and heart risks that come with the condition.
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