In this week's episode, guest author Maya Yanchuck explores the ins and outs of PCOS. We review what the condition is, symptoms, complications, and what is happening in the body. Finally, we look at treatments, from mental health to medications. References: Azziz R. PCOS: a diagnostic challenge. Reproductive biomedicine online. 2004 Jan 1;8(6):644-8.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1472-6483(10)61644-6Barber TM, Wass JA, McCarthy MI, Franks S. Metabolic characteristics of women with polycystic ovaries and oligo‐amenorrhoea but normal androgen levels: implications for the management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Clinical endocrinology. 2007 Apr;66(4):513-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2265.2007.02764.xBarber, T. M., Hanson, P., Weickert, M. O., & Franks, S. (2019). Obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome: Implications for pathogenesis and novel management strategies. Clinical Medicine Insights Reproductive Health, 13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1179558119874042Bromberger, A. (2022). 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P., Jones, M., Karaderi, T., Mentch, F.D., Meun, C., Namjou, B., . . . International PCOS Consortium (2020). A polygenic and phenotypic risk prediction for polycystic ovary syndrome evaluated by phenome-wide association studies. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 105(6), 1918–1936. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgz326Lebovitz, H. E. (2001). Insulin resistance: Definition and consequences. Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes 2001 109(2), S135-S148. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2001-18576Rosenfield, R. L. & Ehrmann, D. A., (2016). The pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): The hypothesis of PCOS as functional ovarian hyperandrogenism revisited. Endocrine Reviews 37(5), 467–520. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2015-1104Ruth, K. S., Day, F. R., Tyrrell, J., Thompson, D. J., Wood, A. R., Mahajan, A., Beaumont, R. N., Wittemans, L., Martin, S., Busch, A. S., Erzurumluoglu, A. M., Hollis, B., O’Mara, T. A., The Endometrial Cancer Association Consortium, McCarthy, M. I., Langenburg, C., Easton, D. F., Wareham, N. J., Burgess, S., Murray, A., . . . Perry, J. R. B. (2020). Using human genetics to understand the disease impacts of testosterone in men and women. Nature Medicine 26, 252–258. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0751-5Sharma, S. & Sharma, S. (2020). Obesity epidemic: Striking the younger age group. Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth 13(4), 333-334. https://doi.org/10.4103/mjdrdypu.mjdrdypu_307_19Stener-Victorin, E. & Deng, Q. (2021). Epigenetic inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome — Challenges and opportunities for treatment. Nature Reviews Endocrinology 17, 521-533. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-021-00517-xTay, C. T., Hart, R. J., Hickey, M., Moran, L. J., Earnest, A. & Doherty, D. A. (2020). Updated adolescent diagnostic criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome: Impact on prevalence and longitudinal body mass index trajectories from birth to adulthood. BMC Med 18(1), 389. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01861-xU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). About insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/insulin-resistance-type-2-diabetes.htmlU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2025). Epigenetics, health, and disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/genomics-and-health/epigenetics/index.htmlWild, R. A., (2002). Long-term health consequences of PCOS. Human Reproduction Update 8(3), 231–241. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/8.3.231Witchel, S. F., Azziz, R., & Oberfield, S. E. (2022). History of polycystic ovary syndrome, premature adrenarche, and hyperandrogenism in pediatric endocrinology. Hormone Research in Paediatrics 95(6), 557–567. https://doi.org/10.1159/000526722Yu, O., Christ, J. P., Schulze-Rath, R., Covey, J., Kelley, A., Grafton, J., Cronkite, D., Holden, E., Hilpert, J., Sacher, F., Micks, E., & Reed, S. D. (2023). Incidence, prevalence, and trends in polycystic ovary syndrome diagnosis: a United States population-based study from 2006 to 2019. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 229(1), 39.e1–39.e12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2023.04.010Share with a friend. Rate, Review, and Subscribe to MedEvidence! Articles to be notified when new episodes are released. Follow us on Social Media: Facebook Instagram Twitter LinkedIn Tiktok Youtube For more great content, including discussions by physicians and clinical research experts, check out the MedEvidence! Podcast and MedEvidence.com Thank you for listening!