What treatments work for polycystic ovary syndrome?

If you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it means your hormones are out of balance. This can affect your periods, your weight and the way hair on your body grows. PCOS also makes it harder for you to get pregnant.

You may find having PCOS upsetting, and feel embarrassed by symptoms like unwanted hair. But you're not the only woman who's had these feelings. PCOS is quite a common condition. And although there's no cure that can get rid of PCOS, there are some good treatments that can help with the symptoms. You may need different treatments over time, depending on the symptoms you get and whether you want to get pregnant.

Key messages about treating polycystic ovary syndrome

If you don't want to get pregnant, the first treatment you'll be offered will probably be the contraceptive pill. A contraceptive pill called co-cyprindiol may help with unwanted hair and with spots (acne). If you are trying to get pregnant, there are several treatments that can help. For example, you can have hormone treatments as tablets or injections. If these don't work, you can try in vitro fertilization (IVF). There's also a type of keyhole surgery that aims to help your ovaries release eggs. It's called laparoscopic ovarian drilling. We look at treatments to help you get pregnant in our section on Fertility problems. Also, simply losing weight may help you get pregnant if you are overweight and have PCOS. There are several drugs you can take that may help with unwanted hair. These include metformin, spironolactone and finasteride. Metformin and contraceptive pills may also help you have regular periods. There are some things you can do for yourself that could help your symptoms. For example, losing weight may help. But there's not much research on this. Some of the treatments we talk about for PCOS can help if you get spots. There are also creams and other treatments that can help get rid of spots. To read more, see our information on Acne. To find out more about the treatments you're likely to be offered for PCOS, see What to expect from treatment.

Treatments for polycystic ovary syndrome

Which treatments work best for PCOS? We've looked at the research and divided the treatments into categories, according to the evidence on how well they work. For more detailed information about each treatment, click on the links below. For help in deciding what treatment is best for you, see .

Treatments that are likely to work

Metformin: This is a medicine that helps lower the amount of sugar in your blood. The brand name is Glucophage. More... Anti-androgen drugs: These are medicines that reduce the effect of androgen hormones in your body. They include spironolactone (brand name Aldactone) and finasteride (Proscar). More...

Treatments that work, but whose harms may outweigh benefits

Co-cyprindiol: This is a type of contraceptive pill that reduces the effect of androgens in your body. The brand name is Dianette. More...

Treatments that need further study

Losing weight: If you're overweight, doctors often recommend losing weight to reduce the symptoms of PCOS. More... Ketoconazole: This is a medicine that some doctors prescribe to reduce unwanted hair. The brand name is Nizoral. More... Hair removal: There are lots of ways of removing unwanted hair, including shaving, creams, waxing, electrolysis and laser removal. More...

Other treatments

We haven't looked at the research on these treatments in as much detail as we've looked at the research on most of the treatments we cover. (To read more, see .) But we've included some information because you may have heard of them or be interested in them.

Contraceptive pills: Many doctors prescribe the pill for women with PCOS who aren't trying to get pregnant. There are lots of types of pill. More... Eflornithine cream: This is a cream you put on your face to slow down hair growth. The brand name is Vaniqa. More... © BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2009



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heir is lot of methods for hair removal or to reduce your unwanted hair but all these methods are still need a further study so users must have extra carefull.