60% of women in the middle east have Polycystic ovaries

There is a big difference between having a cyst in the ovary and having polycystic ovaries. Polycystic ovaries are ovaries that are rich in follicles and this is somehow positive because it means that women suffering from polycystic ovaries have a high ovarian reserve. The problem is that the high number of follicles causes a hormonal imbalance and leads to a lack of ovulation and irregular menses.

This hormonal imbalance becomes much more important in fat tissue. So the first line of treatment for women suffering from PCOS and who wish to conceive is weight-loss and exercise. It has been shown that if a woman loses 5% of her weight, this might restore ovulation and she might have a natural pregnancy. The second line of treatment is ovulation induction and it has to be followed up by a specialist. The third line of treatment in PCOS women is IVF.

IVF success rate is very high in women with PCOS as the number of eggs obtained and subsequently the number of embryos obtained is very high. Supernumerary embryos can be frozen and used as a second chance in case of failure or to achieve future pregnancies.