Explanation of PCOS.... here's what it is. ....

Before I start please let me first say that I AM NOT a doctor or medical professional. I am simply a woman with PCOS who has done some research. Some things may be slightly wrong or I may have missed things out so please feel free to add to this explanation in the comments. I simply thought this might be helpful to be people who have been recently diagnosed and are unsure what it means.

What's meant to happen is that about 5 follicles are meant to start developing in the ovary. Eventually one will take over as the main follicle and will develop until the ovary releases it ...... ovulation.... and this then sets off the cycle of having a period. The remaining underdeveloped follicles sort of dissolve.... your body gets rid of them. The next month it starts over again.

In PCOS the 5 (ish) follicles begin to grow but one follicle never takes over as the main. This means there is no ovulation and it doesn't trigger a period cycle. It also means that it doesn't trigger our bodies to get rid of the "leftover" follicles. So when it gets to the next month another 5 or so follicles begin to develop as well and the same thing tends to occur again,leaving us with loads of underdeveloped follicles and no ovulation.

Occasionally one follicle manages to develop and release and we actually get ovulation and a period.

To be diagnosed with pcos, doctor's must find 12 or more follicles in the ovary.

Doctor's are unsure whether the issues in the ovaries cause excess male hormones (testosterone) or whether something else causes the excess hormones which then leads to the problems in the ovaries. Either way it is the excess testosterone which causes things like greasy skin and hair, spots and excess hair growth.

Hope this helps.