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Polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal condition that affects about one in 10 women. This condition is associated with increased levels of two hormones in the body – insulin and androgens (male-type hormones) – that cause symptoms such as irregular periods, excessive facial and body hair, pimples, weight gain. It may also increase the risk of developing a range of health conditions. PCOS is more common in some high-risk groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

Learn more about PCOS symptoms, causes, health risks and treatments. Plus practical ways to improve your physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Symptoms and causes

Poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS) is the most com­mon hor­mon­al dis­or­der in women of repro­duc­tive age. It affects about one in 10 women and is more com­mon in women from high-risk groups, such as Abo­rig­i­nal and Tor­res Strait Islander women. PCOS is asso­ci­at­ed with increased lev­els of insulin and andro­gens (male-type hor­mones) in your body. Learn more about PCOS symp­toms and causes.
Two women talking in a park

Diagnosis

If you think you have poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS), it’s impor­tant you see your doc­tor. You might be referred to a spe­cial­ist, such as an endocri­nol­o­gist (hor­mone spe­cial­ist) or gynae­col­o­gist for more detailed assess­ments. An ear­ly diag­no­sis and sup­port from a team of spe­cial­ists can help man­age the symp­toms of PCOS and reduce the risk of long-term health prob­lems. Learn more about how PCOS is diagnosed.

Treatment and management

If you are diag­nosed with poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS), it’s impor­tant to work with your doc­tor and a med­ical team to man­age your symp­toms and improve your long-term health out­comes. Women with PCOS may have a range of symp­toms that require dif­fer­ent treat­ments. Depend­ing on your symp­toms, you can seek help from a range of health­care pro­fes­sion­als, includ­ing an endocri­nol­o­gist, gynae­col­o­gist, dietit­ian, der­ma­tol­o­gist, exer­cise phys­i­ol­o­gist, fer­til­i­ty spe­cial­ist and psy­chol­o­gist. Your doc­tor can help coor­di­nate your care and refer you to spe­cial­ists where need­ed. Learn how to treat and man­age com­mon PCOS symptoms.
Young woman listening to music with headphones

PCOS and natural therapies

More than 70% of women with PCOS in Aus­tralia use nat­ur­al and com­ple­men­tary ther­a­pies to improve one or more aspects of their health.[1] Research reports that women with PCOS use these ther­a­pies most com­mon­ly to improve their gen­er­al well­be­ing and to treat the PCOS symp­toms of infer­til­i­ty and depression.[1] The nat­ur­al reme­dies most often used include sup­ple­ments, such as vit­a­mins, min­er­als and fish oils, and herbal med­i­cine in the forms of teas, tablets or liq­uid. The types of treat­ments and reme­dies used in nat­ur­al and com­ple­men­tary ther­a­pies are often influ­enced by the main concern(s) of the woman; for exam­ple, the treat­ment for excess hair growth might be dif­fer­ent from a treat­ment used to improve fer­til­i­ty. There is some emerg­ing research on some nat­ur­al ther­a­pies for the man­age­ment of PCOS. It’s impor­tant to note that many of these research find­ings are pre­lim­i­nary. This means that larg­er – and more robust – stud­ies are need­ed before any con­clu­sions can be made in regard to the treat­ments’ effec­tive­ness in women with PCOS.

Fertility and pregnancy

Many women with poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS) have chil­dren nat­u­ral­ly, but some need med­ical help to get preg­nant. Learn how to improve your chances of becom­ing preg­nant and ways to reduce poten­tial risks dur­ing pregnancy.
Positive pregnancy test

PCOS and related health conditions

Poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS) can increase the risk of devel­op­ing a range of health conditions.

Living with PCOS

Poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS) can affect your phys­i­cal health and emo­tion­al well­be­ing. It may also impact your rela­tion­ships and sex­u­al desire. Learn prac­ti­cal ways to improve your phys­i­cal health and emo­tion­al wellbeing.
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This con­tent has been reviewed by a group of med­ical sub­ject mat­ter experts, in accor­dance with Jean Hailes pol­i­cy.

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