One of the most common reasons for a woman to experience infertility is because of PCOS. PCOS, which is short for “Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome,” doesn’t always cause infertility, but it certainly can. What makes matters worse for these women is that there is not a definitive cure for PCOS. That being said, there may still be hope for the woman suffering from infertility because of PCOS. There are a number of treatments available that can prove helpful.

Most of the time, a woman with PCOS does not have any major symptoms or any trouble with infertility. For those that do have infertility problems, however, it can be tremendously frustrating. PCOS can cause a number of fertility related trouble, including miscarriage, a delay in conception or even complications with the pregnancy once it does occur.

There are other symptoms that a woman with PCOS may experience. Some may have irregular periods. Some may have few periods or even none whatsoever. Gastrointestinal trouble, such as IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) are also common with PCOS.

When you’re struggling with infertility and PCOS, the key is to be able to treat the infertility symptom since the PCOS itself can’t be cured. The fertility medication Clomid has proven effective at helping women with PCOS to conceive because it helps to stimulate ovulation. While it doesn’t guarantee you’ll get pregnant, Clomid has been shown to help more than three quarters of women to ovulate, which greatly increases the chance that you will become pregnant. Clomid, like other fertility medications, does carry the risk of having a twin or multiple pregnancy.

If Clomid can’t successfully help your infertility, there are other things that may help. Your doctor may wish to use hormones to stimulate ovarian production. There are surgical procedures, such as Ovarian drilling, that are designed to do the same thing. Often these procedures are used while continuing the Clomid treatment, as well.

In some cases, a woman may have the best chance with aggressive fertility procedures, such as in vitro fertilization.  In other cases, the PCOS may be so severe as to prevent pregnancy altogether.