If you suspect you have PCOS, it is important to be aware that you may have to undergo a series of tests to determine whether or not you have it. We do not have a single test available to confirm whether or not someone has PCOS. Doctors often use the Rotterdam criteria to diagnose PCOS. It states that to check for PCOS or not, a woman has to have two of these three conditions.
• If you have a heightened level of male hormones called androgens (hyperandrogenism)
• If you are experiencing irregular or infrequent or absent periods (ovulatory dysfunction) and
• If you have polycystic ovaries (cysts in the ovaries)
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A normal physical examination can detect high amounts of androgen in your body. It is considered high if you have excessive hair growth on your face, chin, and body (hirsutism), male pattern baldness, and acne.
If you frequently experience irregular or nonexistent periods, you may begin to suspect you have PCOS. The average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and lasts between 21 and 35 days. Any fluctuations in these cycle lengths of a day or two are also completely normal! What is not normal is having a period cycle that lasts more than 35 days, missing your periods for a month or longer, or having less than nine periods per year. All of these symptoms could be a sign that you have PCOS. Other times, you may have regular periods, but they might be long and painful, or you may have other symptoms such as hair fall, acne, facial hair, male pattern baldness, and so on, which could be signs that you have higher than average levels of male hormones (called as androgens). askpinkypromise.com
To confirm if you have PCOS, most doctors depend on their experience and also use a method known as the Rotterdam criteria. Before proceeding with any PCOS blood tests or imaging, your gynaecologist may ask some basic questions about your medical history, period pattern, weight fluctuations, etc. They will also understand if you have symptoms that indicate higherthan-average levels of male hormones in your body. They may next ask you to undergo a blood test for hormone levels such as estradiol, FSH, LH, and androgens, as well as an ultrasound to check your ovaries. In many cases of PCOS, the ovaries contain fluid-filled sacs of immature eggs that never matured to be large enough to be released out of your body. Hence, this is known as polycystic ovaries. As your egg cells never matured enough, ovulation did not occur that month, and you did not bleed! Doctors may diagnose PCOS if you have any two of these three symptoms: elevated male hormones, infrequent/irregular periods, and polycystic ovaries.
Also, your doctor may want to conduct a pelvic examination which is a physical examination! He or she will be able to check if you have any mass or other abnormality in your reproductive organs using this method. Also, because PCOS is related to insulin resistance and diabetes, your doctor may recommend a blood test to measure androgen, insulin, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Early detection and management of PCOS can reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes.