Common symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) include:
1. Irregular menstruation: This is one of the most common symptoms of PCOS. A patient's menstrual cycle may become irregular, manifesting as oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea, or functional uterine bleeding. The menstrual cycle may last for more than 35 days, and menstruation may even occur only once every 6 months.
2. Infertility: Due to abnormal ovulation, PCOS patients often have difficulty conceiving. Even if you ovulate occasionally, miscarriage may occur due to insufficient luteal function.
3. Symptoms related to hyperandrogenemia: Due to excess androgen in the body, patients may experience symptoms such as hirsutism, acne, alopecia, and male pattern baldness. Hirsutism often manifests as thick and black hair on the upper lip, mandible, around the areola, and midline of the lower abdomen. Acne is mostly distributed on the lower part of the cheeks and the back of the neck. It is recurrent acne that lasts for a long time and is difficult to completely subside.
4. Obesity: About 50% of PCOS patients are obese, often with abdominal obesity (waist circumference/hip circumference ≥ 0.80). Obesity is associated with insulin resistance, androgen excess, increased proportion of free testosterone, and leptin resistance.
5. Enlarged ovaries: A few patients can detect enlarged and tough ovaries through general gynecological examination, and most of them require B-ultrasound examination to confirm.
6. Acanthosis nigricans: Gray-brown pigmentation appears in the skin folds of the labia, back of the neck, armpits, under the breasts and groin. It is symmetrical, the skin is thickened, and the texture is soft.
7. Other symptoms: For example, when estrogen works well, rapid breast development during puberty, breast swelling and pain, etc. may occur. As the disease progresses, patients may develop metabolic syndrome, manifested by diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.
Please note that these symptoms do not occur in all people with PCOS, and their severity varies from person to person. If you have any doubts, please seek medical treatment promptly and consult a professional doctor.