Is it difficult to get pregnant if you have polycystic ovaries?

Until now, for the month of fertility at Metro.co.uk, we have covered the joy and sorrow of finding the perfect sperm donor, so yoga can help design, how plastic affects parenting , among others.

However, there are barriers to conception, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition that can hinder pregnancy while affecting the woman's hormonal levels.

It causes irregular or non-existent ovulation, which means that the egg is not released and you can not get pregnant.

PCOS can reach one in ten women, but there are still options for those who want to have children.

Professor Adam Balen, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told Metro.co.uk that PCOS is the most prevalent hormone disruption among women.

"Treatment may depend on the main concerns about particular symptoms. Irregular and unpredictable periods can be unpleasant and embarrassing. If a woman does not want to conceive, she may be prescribed a low dose oral contraceptive pill. If ovulation occurs irregularly, a woman may take longer than average to become pregnant.

"Several treatment options are available to stimulate regular ovulation, including taking clomiphene tablets, which encourages the monthly release of an egg from the ovaries. If the drugs do not work, hormonal injections can be offered to women.

"Overweight women are less likely to conceive and are at an increased risk of miscarriage or other complications related to pregnancy. They are encouraged to lose weight before trying to conceive, either naturally or through a fertility treatment. To actively maintain a healthy weight, women are advised to follow a healthy and balanced diet and exercise regularly. "

Although PCOS can not be cured, there are treatments that you can try to help and some women with this disease have been able to get pregnant in a totally natural way.

Mom Tarryn Poulton, founder of PCOS Diet Support, was able to conceive naturally after being diagnosed a decade ago.

She told Metro.co.uk that diet is an important part of the solution. "Many women were diagnosed with PCOS when they started trying to conceive," she said. "The contraceptive pill masks many symptoms and when women with PCOS stop taking the pill, symptoms of PCOS appear.

"It was the case with me. When I was diagnosed with PCOS more than 10 years ago, my doctor was very useless. His suggestion was either to take back the pill (which is not an option when you are trying to conceive) or to be referred to a fertility clinic.

"The difficulties of regulating insulin are an integral part of PCOS. If women with PCOS are able to manage these levels of insulin, they are more likely to notice an improvement in their androgens (a type of hormone) and their levels of inflammation, which in turn improves ovulation and increases fertility. & # 39;

There are other options available, such as IVF, that can be used by couples if the egg and sperm are struggling to meet each other. Although IVF has been used successfully by many couples to conceive, it can still be expensive if you do not meet the criteria to get it for free on the NHS.

Other options include the use of drugs or ovulation injections containing hormones that stimulate the release of one or more ova through the ovaries. These medications, when used with a healthy diet, weight, and exercise, can help you conceive.

Fertility medications can be taken in combination with metformin, which helps reduce insulin levels and leads to more regular menstrual and ovulation cycles allowing women to become pregnant.

According to the NHS, if you can not get pregnant despite taking oral medications, a different type of medication, called gonadotropin, may be recommended. These are given by injection and present a higher risk of overstimulation of your ovaries and lead to multiple pregnancies.

An alternative to this is a surgical procedure called ovarian drilling. This keyhole intervention can be just as effective but does not increase the risk of multiple pregnancy.

However, the effects of the procedure may last only a few months and the risk of developing scar tissue between the fallopian tubes and the ovaries.

It is likely that a fertility specialist will check that your fallopian tubes are not obstructed before most of these treatments are used.