Dr. McKinney shares helpful insights about PCOS and pregnancy
Dr. McKinney at our Oklahoma fertility center helps women learn more about PCOS and pregnancy. PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, is a metabolic disorder that impacts millions of women. Conceiving with PCOS can be difficult as it often results in ovulation issues.
To help women determine if PCOS is the cause of their fertility issues, Dr. McKinney recommends certain fertility tests. She then develops an effective treatment plan so that a woman with PCOS can build a healthy family.
Learning more about the symptoms is an important aspect of PCOS and pregnancy
PCOS often goes untreated because many women are unaware of the symptoms. As such, Dr. McKinney encourages women to know the symptoms of PCOS and seek support if they suspect they have this fertility issue.
- Irregular periods
- Ovarian cysts
- Difficulty conceiving
- High levels of androgens and insulin
- Acne
- Weight gain
- Facial hair
- High blood pressure
- Elevated cholesterol
In some cases, there is also a connection between PCOS and diabetes, heart disease, obesity, anxiety, depression and uterine cancer.
When a woman with symptoms of PCOS seeks support from Dr. McKinney, she first reviews the patient’s medical history. She then typically suggests a pelvic exam, bloodwork and an ultrasound. These evaluations can make conceiving with PCOS possible.
Effective treatments can help women with conceiving with PCOS
If a woman has a high body mass index, Dr. McKinney will likely recommend she lose weight. Weight loss is one of the most effective ways to minimize PCOS symptoms. Losing just 5% of body weight can significantly improve symptoms for women with PCOS.
If weight loss does not result in a woman conceiving with PCOS, Dr. McKinney will likely discuss two potential treatments with the patient.
Ovulation induction medication. A common treatment for women trying to conceive with PCOS is ovulation induction medication like Clomid® and Femara®.
In vitro fertilization. PCOS and pregnancy sometimes require IVF. This effective treatment involves the woman taking ovulation induction medications while receiving frequent monitoring at our clinic.
When enough of the woman’s eggs mature, Dr. McKinney retrieves them during a simple procedure and sends them to the lab. An embryologist then fertilizes the eggs with sperm from the woman’s partner or a sperm donor. Next, Dr. McKinney transfers one of the resulting embryos into the woman’s uterus. Two weeks later, the woman takes a pregnancy test at our clinic.
Dr. McKinney urges women with PCOS symptoms to schedule a consultation at our Oklahoma fertility center. Our expert support makes conceiving with PCOS possible for many women. Contact us for more information about PCOS and pregnancy.
