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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a condition associated with increased levels of 2 hormones in the body: insulin and androgens (male-type hormones). This causes symptoms such as irregular periods, excessive facial and body hair, pimples and weight gain.

PCOS affects one in 10 women and is more common in some high-risk groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.

On these pages, you'll find information about PCOS symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatments. Plus, practical ways to improve your physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Symptoms and causes of PCOS

Peo­ple with PCOS may expe­ri­ence dif­fer­ent symp­toms, rang­ing from mild to severe. Symp­toms can also change at dif­fer­ent life stages.On this page, you’ll find infor­ma­tion about com­mon symp­toms of PCOS and what may cause the condition.
Two women talking in a park

Diagnosing and treating PCOS

If you think you have poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS), it’s impor­tant you see your doc­tor. They can help coor­di­nate your care and refer you to spe­cial­ists where need­ed. 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. On this page, you’ll find infor­ma­tion about how PCOS is diag­nosed and treat­ments for com­mon PCOS symptoms.

How does PCOS affect fertility and pregnancy?

Many women with poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS) have chil­dren nat­u­ral­ly, but some need med­ical help to get preg­nant. On this page, you’ll find infor­ma­tion about how to improve your chances of becom­ing preg­nant and ways to reduce poten­tial risks dur­ing pregnancy.
A women's hands on her pregnant belly

Living with PCOS

Poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS) can affect your phys­i­cal and men­tal health. It may also impact your rela­tion­ships and sex dri­ve (libido). On this page, you’ll find infor­ma­tion about how to improve your phys­i­cal activ­i­ty and diet. You’ll also learn about how PCOS can impact your over­all health.
Young women on hike laughing hugging

Healthy recipes for PCOS

A bal­anced diet can help you man­age PCOS symp­toms. On this page, you’ll find healthy recipe ideas plus tips to make your food taste delicious.

PCOS information translated in community languages

Our infor­ma­tion about poly­cys­tic ovary syn­drome (PCOS) has been trans­lat­ed into lan­guages used by com­mu­ni­ties across Aus­tralia includ­ing Ara­bic, Chi­nese, Hin­di, Pun­jabi, Viet­namese and oth­ers. We also have a range of down­load­able resources in English.

This con­tent has been reviewed by a group of med­ical sub­ject mat­ter experts, in accor­dance with Jean Hailes pol­i­cy.

© Jean Hailes Foun­da­tion. All rights reserved.