Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects millions of people worldwide, yet it often goes undiagnosed for years. It’s a condition that disrupts the body’s natural balance, particularly affecting hormones, metabolism, and overall health. If you’ve been experiencing unusual changes in your body, it’s essential to pay attention. Here are five common symptoms of PCOS, explained in a simple way.
1. No Period at All or Irregular Periods
The most apparent sign of PCOS is an irregular cycle. Some women receive their periods too often, and others go months without ever receiving a period. When the period does come, it may be really heavy or really light.
Why This Happens
PCOS disrupts ovulation, or how the body releases an egg every month. Because if ovulation is irregular, so is the menstrual cycle. The longer the intervals between periods, the more uterine lining accumulates and the heavier it bleeds when it finally does shed.
What to Watch Out For
- Missing a period for three or more months
- Having fewer than eight periods in a year
- Having very heavy or light periods
If your periods have been irregular over a period of time, it’s worth exploring with a doctor and discovering what is going on.
2. Excess Hair Growth or Thinning Hair
PCOS may lead to hirsutism, which is excessive growth of hair on areas where men usually have hair, such as the face, chest, or back. While other women with PCOS will experience hair loss on the scalp, usually at the parting or crown section.
Why This Happens
This results due to an increase in androgens, or “male hormones” (although both males and females possess them). A rise in androgens causes hair to grow thicker and darker where it doesn’t belong and leads to baldness on the scalp.
What to Watch Out For
- Dark coarse hair on chin, upper lip, chest, or belly
- Widening of the part line or thinning of the hair
- Too much hair loss, particularly when you take a shower or put your head on your pillow
There are treatments available, so if these symptoms are making you feel self-conscious, it is definitely worth talking to a PCOS Specialist about what you can do.
3. Persistent Breakouts That Won’t Quit
Acne breakouts are normal, but if you’re developing painful, large pimples on your chin, cheeks, or jawline that don’t clear up with normal skincare, PCOS could be the cause.
Why This Happens
Excess androgens stimulate oil production, which plugs pores and inflames the skin. Compared to the occasional breakout, PCOS-related acne is chronic, long-term, and resistant to traditional treatments.
What to Look Out For
- Acne that persists after your teenage years
- Deep, cystic acne, especially on the jawline
- Oily skin that worsens despite following a skincare routine
Dermatological therapies can be effective, but addressing the underlying hormone imbalance is the key to managing PCOS-associated acne.
4. Mysterious Weight Gain That Won’t Budge
Weight gain, often in the abdomen, is prevalent in most women with PCOS even when they exercise and diet diligently. Losing weight is also frustratingly out of reach.
Why This Happens
Insulin resistance, or when the body doesn’t respond to insulin, is a feature of PCOS. It results in high blood glucose, fat build-up, and poor capacity for burning fat to yield energy.
What to Watch Out For
- Sudden or unexpected weight gain, particularly in the central part of the body
- Sweeter craving for carbohydrates and more
- Resistance to losing weight despite having a healthy diet
Although weight gain is not the sole indicator of PCOS, but is it’s accompanied by other indicators, it would be best to investigate possible hormone imbalances.
5. Mood Swings, Fatigue, and Low Energy
PCOS is not a body disorder alone—it can also be a mood- and feeling-altering disorder. Most people with PCOS experience anxiety, depression, irritability, and debilitating fatigue.
Why This Happens
Mood is significantly affected by hormones. When estrogen, progesterone, and insulin levels fluctuate, emotional mood swings, confusion, and chronic fatigue may ensue. PCOS also leads to most people not sleeping well, and that worsens the fatigue.
What to Watch Out For
- Feeling overwhelmed or stressed and emotionally exhausted
- Low energy, even with a full night’s sleep
- Having trouble concentrating or remembering things
Mental illnesses must be treated like physical ones. Habit modification comes easily—such as better sleeping and stress management—is effective and achievable, but the severe ones might need professional help.
What to Do If You See These Signs
If you observe two or more of these signs, it would be advisable to talk to your doctor. PCOS is a long-term condition, but with treatment, its symptoms can be kept under control.
What to Do?
- Monitor Your Symptoms – Keep a journal with a book or monitor period, skin, hair, and weight changes with an app.
- Get a Medical Check-Up – Your doctor can conduct hormone tests and check for insulin resistance.
- Make Lifestyle Changes – Eating healthy, exercise, and stress level control can balance hormones.
- Discover Treatment Options – Depending on your signs and symptoms, your treatment may be taking birth control pills, insulin resistance medication, or hair removal therapy.
PCOS has an impact on every individual uniquely, which is why treatment for each person depends on the symptoms one is experiencing. The sooner you identify your symptoms, the sooner you can get your health under control.
