Dr. Radhika Meka
Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
Chennai
PCOS causes a woman’s body to produce higher-than-normal levels of androgens. These are hormones that are usually thought of as male hormones, because men have much higher levels of androgens than women.
Androgens are important in the development of male sex organs and other male traits.
In women, androgens are usually converted into the hormone estrogen.
You won’t be able to get pregnant while you’re taking birth control pills for PCOS. But if you need help ovulating so that you can become pregnant, certain medicines may help:
Clomiphene is an anti-estrogen drug that you take at the beginning of your cycle.
If clomiphene doesn’t help with ovulation, you may be prescribed the diabetes drug metformin.
If clomiphene and metformin don’t work, your doctor may prescribe a medication containing a follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and a luteinizing hormone (LH). You get this medicine in a shot.
One other drug that helps with ovulation is letrozole. It’s sometimes used when other medications aren’t effective.
