How do you get diagnosed with PCOS?

 PCOS affects women in different ways, so not everyone will have all the related PCOS symptoms. Some may have only mild symptoms, while others may have a wider range of more severe symptoms.  This is part of what makes PCOS so difficult to diagnose and manage, as no two individuals are the same.

PCOS was formally described in 1935 and was originally called Stein-Leventhal Syndrome after the doctors who discovered and defined the group of symptoms presented. We have had a formal diagnostic criteria from the US NIH and this was expanded upon in 2003 under the Rotterdam criteria which state that 2 of the following must be present for diagnosis:
1. Irregular or no ovulation
2. Excess Androgens and/or physical signs of this
3. Polycystic Ovaries

Based on this the NICE Clinical Guidance Summary for the UK recommend the following tests be carried out for diagnosis:
Blood tests to measure the following:
  • Total Testosterone
  • Sex Hormone-binding Globulin
  • Leuteinizing Hormone
  • Follicle-stimulating hormone
  • Prolactin
  • Thyroid-stimulating hormone
Pelvic Ultrasound to look for:
  • Follicular Cysts  - these are different to ovarian cysts see our myth busters for more information
  • Or Enlarged Ovaries
Your doctor should also check your blood pressure level and your blood sugar level due to the increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The NICE Clinical Guidance Summary recommend this be monitored on an annual basis.

Once a diagnosis has been made, your doctor may refer you to a specialist depending on your symptoms – usually a gynaecologist (a doctor specialising in caring for a woman’s reproductive system) or an endocrinologist (a doctor specialising in the hormonal system).
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