Featuring Dr. Sabrina Gill, MD, MPH, FRCPC

Duration: 1 minute, 48 seconds

There's no particular cure for polycystic ovary syndrome. 

The treatment is just primarily based on treatment of symptoms. The most important treatment is lifestyle changes and weight loss in women who are overweight and obese.  There have been studies that have shown that even just a five percent loss in weight dramatically improves symptoms and actually can regulate periods so exercising regularly, ideally 30 minutes a day, five days a week, incorporating both cardiovascular as well as weight training is essential.  

And perhaps even seeing a dietitian would be worthwhile. If you are at a normal healthy body weight, then it's important to maintain that weight with diet and exercise and continue on with your current lifestyle.  

With polycystic ovary syndrome, there is an increased risk of endometrial cancer in women who not have periods for prolonged periods of time so it's important to regulate your periods at least every one to two months ideally.  

And the ways that we can do that is with birth control pills or with a medication such as progesterone that is a hormone that your body normally makes to regulate it and we can give it to you in the form of a 10- to 14-day period and that will help regulate your periods a bit more.

Other treatment options for polycystic ovary syndrome include medications that decrease insulin production, the most common one being metformin. Its use is relatively controversial but it could be considered in some women.  

So if you have any of these symptoms, it's important to discuss this with your physician and then choose the appropriate treatment that's right for you.

Presenter: Dr. Sabrina Gill, Endocrinologist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Endocrinologist