polycystic ovaries and PCOS?!


Question: Polycystic ovaries and PCOS?
hey.
Are polycystic ovaries and PCOS different or the same and if they are different, what's the difference?
thanks

Answers:

Good question. Technically they are different, but having poly cystic ovaries may be an indication of PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome).

Let me explain. "Poly cystic ovaries" means that more than one cyst has been observed in an ovary (normally by ultrasound). But having multiple cysts does not necessarily lead to a diagnosis of PCOS. Equally, the absence of cysts does not rule out PCOS.

PCOS is a syndrome (pattern of symptoms), not a single disease nor an observation. It requires a number of symptoms to be observed (not just one). The most common symptoms of PCOS are irregular or absent periods and a tendency to put on weight. If you have both of those, and an observation of poly cystic ovaries, then PCOS is very likely. Less common symptoms of PCOS are male pattern hairiness or male pattern head baldness, oily skin and acne, under-developed breasts, persistent dandruff, and skin darkening.

"Regular" ovarian cysts are unrelated to PCOS, and there is always the possibility of having more than one (ie. poly cystic). But they tend to show up as being large on ultrasound. Whereas PCOS tends to present with many (could be at least 5 , often many more) very small cysts, hence the nickname "string of pearls" for PCOS (because they look like that on ultrasound).

Hope that explains.




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