You have always had irregular menstruation, with very variable cycles and impossible to predict. In the end, you get the diagnosis by the gynecologist: polycystic ovaries. And, depending on when this diagnosis happens, especially if you think about starting a family, you will ask yourself: If I have polycystic ovaries, ¿I can get pregnant?
Well, of course we can tell you that yes, you may get pregnant and have a baby, although a priori it may be a bit more complicated than if you have a regular cycle. But what exactly does it have to have polycystic ovaries? We explain everything and we offer you the tips to increase the chances of conceiving if you have polycystic ovaries.
But from the beginning you have to know that yes, you can have a baby, and hopefully not as difficult to conceive but to know this great news, that is, to know you're pregnant. Because while for women with regular cycles the delay in the rule can lead to pregnancy, this is not the case in women with polycystic ovaries, since it simply does not have to be a delay in menstruation but simply of a longer cycle
But let's look better at what polycystic ovaries consist of and how they can affect when conceiving.
What are polycystic ovaries?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common health problem which can affect both teenagers and adult women. It is also known as "Stein-Leventhal Syndrome" or "polyfollicular ovarian disease." It is associated with an imbalance of female sex hormones, which can cause changes in the menstrual cycle, cysts in the ovaries, difficulty getting pregnant and sometimes other health problems.
The name "polycystic" is formed by the Greek component "poly", which means 'many' and 'cyst', which means 'closed sack'. That is: ovaries with several cysts.Any ovarian follicle larger than two centimeters is called an ovarian cyst, what happens is that, while many of these cysts are functional and are part of the normal menstruation process, those due to polycystic ovarian syndrome are pathological.
In Babies and more Ovarian reserve: what it is and how it affects your fertilityThe formation of cysts in the ovary is due as we say to hormonal causes (Ovaries produce quantities of higher than normal androgen and this can interfere with the development and release of the egg) and is a normal process, but if we talk about "polycystic ovaries" a "polycystic ovary syndrome" (SOP) There are some differences.
It is the first less serious and much more frequent case in women than one might think, even often goes undiagnosed. But polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition that is associated with anaovulatorios periods (absence of menstruation) and metabolic syndrome associated with cardiovascular disease or diabetes development.
However, there are many degrees between one and the other and also throughout the fertile life of women can produce many changes. The second question is, do I have polycystic ovaries?
Know if I have polycystic ovaries
A most women are diagnosed with polycystic ovaries or PCOS between 20 and 30 years or once go to the gynecologist and confirmed by scanning symptoms. The morphological characteristics of the polycystic ovary are detectable by ultrasound or ultrasound. The symptoms of polycystic ovaries are:
- Absence of the menstrual period after having one or more normal menstrual periods during puberty (secondary amenorrhea).
- Irregular menstrual periods, which can be intermittent and also variable in the amount of flow (very light or very abundant).
Other symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome include:
- Extra body hair that grows on the chest, abdomen and face, as well as around the nipples.
- Acne on face, chest or back.
- Changes in the skin such as thick or dark marks and skin folds around the armpits, English, neck and breasts.
The development of male characteristics is not typical of polycystic ovarian syndrome and may indicate a different problem. But if you have any of the above symptoms, go to the gynecologist to make the correct diagnosis.
As weight gain and obesity is common in women with PCOS, the specialist will recommend losing weight, which can help treat hormonal changes. Further, maintaining an ideal weight favors the chances of conceiving.
Your doctor may recommend birth control pills to make menstrual periods more regular (in addition, these drugs help reduce possible abnormal hair growth and acne), but obviously this is not the solution if we want to have a baby.
In any case, Early diagnosis and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome are essential, because this condition involves the risk of developing long-term problems and is also very important if you want to have a baby in the future.
Getting pregnant with polycystic ovaries
For a woman with polycystic ovaries getting pregnant can be more difficult than for others. The point is that, while in a normal cycle the ovule (or ovules) will be released mature when appropriate (about two weeks after the cycle began), in women with polycystic ovaries this does not happen. Often, the ovum does not mature and does not descend, but remains in the ovary surrounded by a small amount of fluid.
In short, for women with PCOS regular ovulation does not occur. The average ovulation occurs around the fourteenth day of a menstrual cycle of average duration (twenty-eight days). It is still normal for the day on which ovulation occurs to depart from the average a few days. This allows the woman to know what her fertile days are and try to conceive during that period.
Even so, the monthly probability of pregnancy in a couple who has regular sex is only around 20%. It is estimated that it takes an average of fertile couples in five months to get a pregnancy, or make love 104 times. These figures in women with polycystic ovaries may increase by not knowing their fertile days.
But, considering that there is usually no amenorrhea or absence of total rule, that is, that the woman with PCOS also ovulates and menstruates (however difficult it is to predict when she will do it), the possibility of pregnancy is perfectly possible. Only in cases of amenorrhea or total absence (associated with other health problems) does ovulation exist. What is recommended to get pregnant with polycystic ovaries?
Pregnancy in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome is possible since ovulation does exist, even if it is irregular and unpredictable.
In Babies and more The 11 most frequently asked questions about infertility answered by an expertTips to increase the chances of pregnancy
Keeping track of your menstrual cycles is a tool that will not help establish the best days to conceive. Other methods of predicting the fertile days, as ovulation test or basal temperature are significantly less effective in women with PCOS given hormonal irregularities.
Observing cervical mucus can help identify when women are ovulating on regular cycles, but it is not an appropriate method if we suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome or hormonal disturbance. However, if at any time you notice that vaginal discharge or cervical mucus increases and its consistency becomes increasingly sticky and elastic, similar to that of egg white, it is likely that you are going to ovulate.
What we can do to increase the chances of pregnancy is to keep calm, be patient and most importantly, have frequent sex. In this way, giving way to sperm often increases the chances that, sooner or later, they will find a mature ovum.
This is the key, but there are others General tips to get pregnant with PCOS. Above all, he leads a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking and doing physical activity regularly, with a healthy and balanced diet, maintaining an adequate weight. Otherwise, we will be adding small steps to achieve the goal pregnancy.
The father's lifestyle is also essential to achieve the conception and good development of pregnancy, so he must follow the advice to improve his fertility. It is also recommended as in all women with a prepregnancy visit to the gynecologist.
With all this, we hope the answer to ¿I can get pregnant if I have polycystic ovaries? It has been clear and you are encouraged because it is very likely that, sooner or later, you have a baby. By the way, sometimes it happens that after giving birth, menstrual cycles are regulated, so the second baby may arrive earlier than expected ...
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In Babies and more | How to get pregnant: methods and advice, Sterility and infertility, when is there a problem ?, Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
