Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a highly common cause of female infertility, but you can still get pregnant with this condition. Many women can achieve pregnancy with fertility medications and lifestyle changes. Some women with PCOS may need IVF, but some can achieve pregnancy with lower-tech treatments.
Weight Loss
Many women with PCOS tend to struggle with obesity due to the fact that PCOS affects how the body processes insulin, which can result in weight gain. Women with PCOS do not ovulate at all, or they do not ovulate regularly. Those who are overweight are more likely to experience more severe anovulation with months between periods.
Losing weight may help bring back ovulation. On the other hand, losing weight is not a proven way to help you conceive; you may still need fertility medicine. Regular exercise has also been found to help with PCOS symptoms. Keep in mind that not all women with PCOS are overweight, so weight loss will not be a solution to help with fertility if you are not overweight.
Fertility Medications
Some women with PCOS will need medications in order to help them conceive and/or to help treat the condition. Clomid and Femara is a commonly used fertility medication and is often used to treat women with PCOS. While some women with PCOS will conceive with Clomid or Femara, it is not always successful for everyone.
Fertility Procedures
If oral medications are not successful, IVF is typically the next step. This involves using injectable fertility medication to stimulate the ovaries, then retrieving the mature eggs from the ovaries. The eggs are then placed together with sperm, in hopes that the sperm will fertilize some of the eggs. Then, one or two of the embryos are transferred into the uterus.
NCCRM
The North Carolina Center for Reproductive Medicine/Talbert Fertility Institute is the premiere center for reproductive health in North Carolina and the East Coast. Our team specializes in fertility testing, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility conditions. We’re experts in IVF, Tubal Ligation Reversal, Male Infertility, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), Gestation Surrogacy, Family Balancing, and more. Contact us today.
