Polycystic ovary syndrom (PCOS) causes harmless cysts in the ovaries. some symptoms are Trouble getting pregnant, Weight gain, Acne, Hair growth on the face and other parts of the body.If it is not treated, PCOS may also increase a woman's risk for cancer of the uterine lining.The cysts are not harmful. But the hormone imbalance and a lack of ovulation can cause health problems if not treated. Treatment may relieve some of your symptoms and help prevent future problems.Birth control pills to help you have regular periods Pills containing the hormone progesterone to regulate your periods if you can't, or choose not to, take birth control pills. Medications to help you ovulate if you wish to become pregnant. check out www.netdoctor.co.uk

About a thrid of women in the UK has multiple cysts in their ovaries, and about a third of these in turn have PCOS, so it is a common problem. I will assume you know background information on the disease itself, since you are interested in the treatments. The four main problems with PCOS are infertility, menstrual irregularities, hirsutism - unwanted hair growth (and sometimes acne) and insulin resistance similar to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Many treatment regimes begin with lifestyle changes, as many sufferes are obese and in fact a loss of adipose tissue (fat cells) can restimulate ovulation, and reduce insulin resistance. However, for those in which this alone is not effective, or for people who aren't obese, the first-line treatment is usually an anti-oestrogen such as clomiphene citrate. This reduces oestrogen negative feedback causing the block to release the gonadotrohpins to cause egg release is removed, allowing normal egg release, and works in about 3/4 of patients. Metformin may also be used in conjunction or by itself, as this has similar effects but also reduces the insulin resistance, thereby reducing the diabetes like symptoms. Should this not work, and the natural balance not restored, to overcome the block of gonadotropin release, the next treatment is injection of gonadotropins. The final treatment line is usually corrective surgery, though of course this is more invasive and so is not first line treatment. The combined oral contraceptive pill can be used to promote normal menstruation, and treat hirsutism, however it can make the insulin resistance worse and so would need careful monitoring, and obviously would not help the infertility problem. So generally, anti-androgens or creams are used to reduce hair growth, or simply resort to physical measures such as shaving/waxing etc. All in all, it depends on which aspects of PCOS the patient has, and the appropriate treatments would be assessed to suit the patient. It must be noted that this is not exhaustive, and drug names may differ from those here whilst having the same effects/methods of action, as trade names vary from place to place.

I have had PCOS since I was 17 and I am now 37 years old. If you have PCOS and are overweight, the best advice I could give you is to eat a low-carbohydrate or glycaemic index controlled diet. The more overweight a person is, the worse PCOS seems to become, with more and more of the symptoms rearing their ugly heads. If you have PCOS and are trying to conceive, there are a number of herbal treatments which have varying levels of success in some people. Failing that, surgery or medicinal intervention is available. I am in the UK and the best website for UK based ladies with PCOS is http://www.verity-pcos.org.uk/