AROUND ONE IN FIVE women in the UK are affected by PCOS. The main features are: an abnormally high number of fluid-filled sacs (follicles) forming on the ovaries, a failure to ovulate, an irregular cycle and high levels of ‘male’ hormones, including testosterone.
You won’t necessarily have all of these, and symptoms vary greatly (see below). ‘For instance, around 20% of women with PCOS won’t have cysts (empty or immature follicles) on their ovaries. And others have an abnormal number of cysts and irregular periods, but don’t have high levels of male hormones,’ explains Dr Georgios Dimitriadis, senior clinical fellow in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Coventry and Warwick University Hospital, who runs a specialist PCOS clinic for the NHS.