Getting Pregnant With PCOS: What To Know

It is entirely possible for women with PCOS to get pregnant, although PCOS affects pregnancy in a variety of ways. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 12% of those looking to become pregnant face difficulties due to PCOS. That number could be larger in cases where PCOS remains undiagnosed.

PCOS can cause an increase in blood pressure, which left untreated may lead to preeclampsia. Both preeclampsia and gestational diabetes can create additional concerns during pregnancy, and these complications can put women and their children at a higher risk for both type 2 diabetes and preterm delivery.

While an exact cause for PCOS has yet to be identified, experts believe that high levels of insulin, excess amounts of the androgen hormone, inflammation, and sometimes genetics contribute to PCOS.

Irregular periods, acne, weight gain, excess body hair, infertility, and male-pattern baldness are all potential PCOS symptoms, but treatment can both minimize symptoms and help women with PCOS get pregnant.

"Having PCOS was the worst, Nicole Sadowski Mucci told Mom.com. "Between not knowing when I would have a period to being told I may need to be on fertility treatments in order to conceive, it definitely gave me a sense of anxiety. Luckily there are ways to improve it — one of the reasons I have two boys today!"

Amy Roskin, MD, chief medical officer at maternal health platform Seven Starling, elaborated on treatment options for women with PCOS who are trying to conceive. "Medications that can improve fertility for people with PCOS include those that stimulate the ovary or 'induce' ovulation," Roskin told Mom.com. "Often the first line of treatments are with oral medications that can accomplish this. If the oral medications don't work, then stronger injectable medications can be tried. If someone with PCOS has been through these initial less invasive treatments and they didn't work, they might be a candidate for IVF."

For those who wish to get pregnant but have been unable to after a year of trying, ask your doctor if an appointment with a fertility specialist is in order. In women over the age of 35, consult your doctor if, after six months, you're still having difficulty getting pregnant.

Research indicates that lowering blood sugar levels through a low-sugar and low-carbohydrate diet may be beneficial for those wishing to become pregnant. "Treatment may include lifestyle modifications like weight reduction if indicated and exercise that can improve metabolic factors like hormonal imbalance and diabetes risk," Roskin explained.

"I traveled to Panama to get a third opinion where they told me I needed to change my diet," Sadowski Mucci continued. "Less carbs and less sugar in a span of six months — doing that, my cysts dissipated and I got pregnant. I followed the diet after we moved to the States and had my second three years later. It has helped regulate my periods, acne, and weight gain."

It can sometimes take up to two years for a PCOS diagnosis, so advocating for yourself is important. And since there is also little in the way of funding for PCOS research and awareness, when patients looking to get pregnant bring their concerns to their health care provider, they are often told to "just lose weight," but insulin resistance can actually cause weight gain.
So there's still much to be done in terms of PCOS education; organizations dedicated to PCOS research and awareness receive less than 0.1% of the funding and resources that other health conditions receive.

One such organization, PCOS Challenge, founded by microbiologist Sasha Ottey, MHA, MT (ASCP), aims to help those with PCOS overcome their symptoms and reduce their risk for life-threatening diseases.

"As a Black woman living in a larger body, one of the most impactful things I've experienced in my mental and physical well-being has been health care gaslighting," Ottey explained in an interview on the Voices of Periods YouTube channel. "I've been in many situations where I was not believed, I was made to believe or was told there was something I was doing to cause my own pain, to cause my own illnesses.

"The most satisfying thing about working with PCOS Challenge is the community that we built — a safe space for people to share their stories and not feel so alone."