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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Stei-Leventhal Syndrome are terms attempting to label a group of symptoms that appears to be related to one another. There is no single test to diagnose this syndrome, doctors rely on medical history, blood test for hormone levels along with insulin resistance levels and ovarian ultrasound to help diagnose the syndrome.(Roan, 2002) Difficulty in diagnose this syndrome is that the cause of it is unknown.(Bullock & Henze, 2000) To complicate the matter further, there is no cure for the syndrome.(Roan, 2002) Polycystis Ovary Syndrome is characterized by 3 classic symptoms: Irregular menstrual problems (80%), hirsute (excessive hair growth) (50-70%), and obesity (70%).(Bullock & Henze, 2000) PCOS tends to run in families and affect all race and ethnicities.(Roan, 2002)The symptoms may begin in adolescence and persist after menopause.(Thatcher, 2000) Adolescence marks the beginning of menses and its irregularity, It may be difficult to distinguish between PCOS and the irregularity that is normal in the first two years of menses.(Bullock & Henze, 2000) With PCOS, the ovaries are typically filled with numerous benign cysts that interfere with ovulation, making it difficult to conceive.(Thatcher, 2000) Infertility is not the only concern, with abnormal menstrual cycle.
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