Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, is a hormone-related disorder that affects about 10 percent of women of reproductive age. Its potential effects are wide-ranging, including weight gain, diabetes, excessive body-hair growth, loss of hair from the scalp and acne. It can also cause ovulation to be infrequent or even absent, rendering women infertile. Fortunately, several treatments are available to help women get pregnant even if they have stopped ovulating because of PCOS.
Diabetes Medication
The diabetes drug metformin, sold under the brand name Glucophage, can frequently help with PCOS symptoms. That's because it lowers production of testosterone and alters the way blood sugar is regulated by insulin. Insulin resistance is a frequent feature of PCOS and is the reason that diabetes rates are high among sufferers. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ovulation often resumes after a few months on metformin. That would increase the chance of pregnancy. And other PCOS symptoms, including excessive hair growth, are apt to improve, too.
Healthy Weight
Women with PCOS often find that their symptoms improve when they lose weight. That includes lack of ovulation. A loss of 10 percent in body weight, can cause ovulation and normal periods to return, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The way to lose the weight is the same way anyone else would, through a low-fat diet and an increase in exercise. The weight loss can help to lower blood sugar and help the body to use insulin more effectively as well.
Fertility Drugs
Women who are experiencing infertility due to PCOS can try medications specially designed to promote ovulation and thus pregnancy. The first-line fertility drug treatment is usually clomiphene citrate, sold under the brand name Clomid. In cases where it does not work, women can try stronger options, including gonadotropins, which come in the form of shots. Some doctors and patients, however, prefer to avoid gonadotropins because they tend to stimulate ovulation of not one but several eggs, producing a high chance of pregnancy with twins, triplets or more.
IVF
In vitro fertilization involves combining sperm and egg outside the body, in a laboratory dish. An embryo is then inserted into the woman's body so it can develop. In appropriate candidates, the technique can be highly effective. In women under age 35, it results in a live birth rate of 30 to 35 percent per cycle. IVF is, however, expensive, at about $10,000 per cycle.
