HealthInfo Aoraki South Canterbury
Treating polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Te whakarauora i te rarunga ruawahinetanga
While there is no cure for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), treatment can help ease the symptoms.
The aim of your treatment will depend on your situation. If you want to get pregnant, the treatment will focus on your fertility. If you do not, the treatment will focus on managing your symptoms. The treatment will need to be lifelong.
Lifestyle management
To improve your symptoms, you can try:
- healthy eating
- keeping physically active
- losing weight if you are more than a healthy weight.
The physical symptoms of PCOS may make you feel anxious or depressed or give you low self-esteem. If so, a combination of self-care and medical or psychological treatments may help. Talk to your general practice team about treatment options.
Excessive hair growth and acne
If you do not have too much facial and body hair, you may be able to control it. You can use cosmetic methods such as plucking, waxing or using depilatory creams that dissolve the hair. All these methods are temporary. Electrolysis and laser therapy are more permanent but can be expensive. You may need more than one treatment.
If these treatments do not work for you, you might need medication.
The combined oral contraceptive pill reduces androgen levels and provides you with contraception.
Other medicines include anti-androgen drugs such as spironolactone or cyproterone acetate. They slow down hair growth and make the hair finer. They may take up to 6 months to work, and the effect gradually wears off if you stop taking them. They are not recommended if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
Risk of diabetes, heart disease and being overweight
PCOS can increase your risk of having insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means your cells do not react as well to insulin. Insulin is a hormone associated with controlling glucose in your system.
Insulin resistance means that your body needs to produce more insulin to have the same effect. This in turn can learn to a higher production of other hormones.
Some of the effects of insulin resistance are weight gain, increased body fat and a risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. These are sometimes called metabolic symptoms.
Lifestyle measure can help with losing weight. But if this is not enough to control your insulin levels, you may need to take a medication called metformin. Metformin has been used for many years to treat diabetes.
Fertility
Many people with PCOS have no difficulties with fertility. It is important to use contraception if you do not want to become pregnant.
If you have PCOS and are having difficulty getting pregnant, there are treatments that you can discuss with your doctor. If you are more than a healthy weight, losing weight and keeping more physically active will also improve fertility.
There are also drugs that can stimulate ovulation (releasing an egg), such as clomifene. If you do not become pregnant using clomifene, your doctor may also suggest you take metformin. It may help make your periods more regular and increase the chances clomifene will lead to ovulation.
If these treatments do not work, your doctor may suggest other medications or refer you to a fertility specialist.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Jean Hailes for Women's Health:
- Diagnosing and treating PCOS
Information about treatment and lifestyle changes that can help with PCOS.
- PCOS and physical health
Information on how a healthy lifestyle can help with PCOS.
- Diagnosing and treating PCOS
On the next page: Eating well with polycystic ovary syndrome
Written by the Department of Endocrinology, Christchurch Hospital. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed January 2025.
Sources
Review key: HIPCO-15994
