Treatment Options for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
One of the common endocrine disorders in women who are of reproductive age is polycystic ovarian syndrome, commonly called PCOS. Getting pregnant is sometimes difficult for these patients. However, a fertility clinic can offer a number of treatment options.
What is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)?
Women who suffer from this disorder normally develop it soon after they begin having menstrual periods, according to the Mayo Clinic. Although PCOS has many signs, physicians look for a least two of these:
- Irregular menstrual periods
- Excessive androgen levels
- Polycystic ovaries (many sacs with fluid surround eggs)
Although researchers are not sure exactly what causes PCOS, patients with a mother or a sister who have it face elevated risk factors. Other things that might play a role are excess insulin or a low-grade inflammation.
PCOS can increase the likelihood of developing other conditions, particularly if a patient is obese. Among them are type 2 diabetes, hypertension, abnormalities in cholesterol and lipid levels, infertility, sleep apnea, endometrial cancer, and metabolic syndrome.
The University of Washington Medical Center reports that 10 percent of women in their reproductive years develop PCOS. It alters how female hormones work, which can interrupt ovulation and cause infertility.
When the ovaries do not receive the correct amount of two hormones from the pituitary gland because of PCOS, two things can happen. Eggs might not be able to mature, and ovulation cannot occur. The ovaries could produce reduced levels of estrogen but more male hormones such as testosterone.
This results in the development of small cysts on the surface of an ovary. Around 75 percent of PCOS patients have these cysts and fertility problems.
How a New York Fertility Clinic Can Help
Many PCOS patients who have difficulty becoming pregnant seek help from fertility clinics in New York City. These facilities are able to offer a number of treatments, according to the National Institutes of Health. These are the primary options:
- Clomiphene or clomiphene citrate is the most common infertility therapy for PCOS patients. It works by indirectly causing eggs to mature and then release.
- Metformin is sometimes an adjunct drug used for regulating or boosting ovulation.
- Letrozole causes the production of higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, which is required for ovulation.
- Gonadotropins are hormones injected at a fertility clinic NYC to cause ovulation.
- Ovarian drilling is a type of surgery that might raise the chances of ovulation. It is an option when lifestyle changes plus medications have not been successful.
- In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is a possibility when none of the foregoing therapies caused success. Clinicians retrieve eggs from the uterus and place them with sperm outside the woman’s body. Fertilization occurs in a dish. After fertilization, the physician inserts the embryo into the patient’s uterus. Patients have the option to freeze for future use any embryos not transferred.
