Does ovulation occur with polycystic ovaries?
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common hormonal disorder in which affected women face problems with the regularity or length of their menstrual cycles or increased levels of male hormones. Does ovulation occur with polycystic ovaries?
Does ovulation occur with polycystic ovaries?
During the menstrual cycle in non-PCOS women, several eggs mature within follicles in the ovaries, and the most mature egg is released into one of the fallopian tubes to meet with a sperm, if any.
Therefore, many women wonder, “Does ovulation occur with PCOS?” The answer is that in the case of polycystic ovaries, although the polycystic ovaries contain follicles with eggs, the follicles do not grow and mature properly, so there is no ovulation or release of eggs in some months, and this is called an ovulation defect.,
This means that ovulation occurs with PCOS, but rarely, so most women with PCOS have irregular periods.
What is the reason behind an ovulation defect?
PCOS is a complex hormonal condition that affects up to 1 in 5 women of childbearing age. Affected women have high levels of a hormone known as luteinizing hormone, the hormone responsible for ovulation, and low levels of a hormone known as follicle-stimulating hormone, which is a hormone necessary for puberty growth and a woman’s ovarian function.
Women with PCOS also suffer from underproduction of estrogen and excess androgens, which causes small cysts on the surface of the ovaries. Because of these hormonal imbalances, women with PCOS often do not ovulate regularly and have irregular periods.
How can ovulation be tracked?
After learning about the answer to “Does ovulation occur with PCOS?”, you must be wondering how to track ovulation? Here are some of the ways doctors check for ovulation:,
1. Basal body temperature
Most women suffer a constant increase in basal body temperature after ovulation, so the doctor asks the woman to monitor the temperature every morning as soon as she wakes up, and if you do not notice an increase in temperature every day, this may mean that ovulation has not occurred.
2. Urine hormone test
A urine test is done in the middle of the cycle to check for an increased flow of LH through Home ovulation testOvulation usually occurs 24-40 hours after a positive test result is noticed, which means that hormone levels have risen.
3. Vaginal ultrasound
With an ultrasound, the doctor can confirm the presence of a cyst containing an egg.
4. Progesterone level
The level of this hormone increases after ovulation, so a simple blood test can be done a week after mid-cycle to confirm that ovulation has occurred.
Does pregnancy occur with polycystic ovaries?
Yes, women with polycystic ovaries can get pregnant, but they usually take longer to conceive and require more fertility treatments than women without.
Their chances of conceiving can be increased by enjoying the best possible health before trying to have children, and controlling and treating polycystic ovaries as follows:
- Adopting a healthy lifestyle includes not smoking, reducing alcohol, eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of exercise and getting enough sleep.
- Weight loss. Weight loss helps regulate irregular periods.
- Taking fertility drugs Your doctor may prescribe pills or injections to stimulate the ovaries to produce and release eggs.
- Intrauterine insemination. In some cases, doctors may resort to intrauterine insemination, where the doctor will inject specially prepared sperm into the uterus through a simple in-office procedure.,