Dear Christine.....tell me about PCOS! ( Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, that is...)

This page contains information and resources concerning the condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. The condition is also known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome or Polycystic Ovarian Disease.
Here are some questions that I am often asked:

Dear Christine:
I am a woman but....

-Why am I growing a beard? Why do I have hair growing on other parts of my body where women do not usually have it?

-Why do I have periods irregularly, rarely, never, or maybe even all the time.

-Why do I have acne even though I am no longer an teenager?

-Why can't I lose weight no matter how hard I try?

-Why do I have difficulty getting pregnant?

-Why do I have brown patches of skin on my body?

and the answer is......drum roll please.....

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a female condition which is characterized by hormonal imbalance, ovulatory dysfunction, hirsutism (male-pattern body hair), acne, obesity, hair loss, and infertility. Not all women with PCOS experience all of these symptoms, but they are all very common with this condition. For a medical description of PCOS, see the PCOS medical description from Vanderbilt, or look at the Health Information - Stein-Leventhal Syndrome site. If you have been diagnosed with this condition, or if you suspect that you may have it, there are many resources available to you.

1) You can subscribe to the Usenet group alt.support.pco. Please contact your on-line provider if you are unable to locate this group on your server.

2) You can join the PCOS e-mail support group. Send an e-mail to: pco-request@lists.best.com and type just the word 'subscribe' in the body of the message (use only lower-case letters, and don't type the quotation marks). An e-mail message will be returned to you, with instructions to confirm your subscription.

3) If you subscribe to America Online, a PCOS message board also exists. Go to the Reproduction & Infertility area, and select the message board for Polycystic Ovarian Disease: Reproduction & Infertility (aol only)

4) You also can join PCOSupport and get involved in shaping the future of our organization. Look at PCOSupport: The Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association for more information. Join or start a local chapter! Attend the annual conference, packed with information from experts in the field!

5) You can give yourself a break! If you have PCOS, then the medical condition is responsible for things such as the inability to lose weight. It is NOT a lack of willpower! Educate yourself about what you CAN do to help yourself. You can take control of this!