Can I Get Pregnant If I Have PCOS?

Up to 80% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) struggle to conceive. But that doesn’t mean they can’t get pregnant.

At CARE Fertility in Bedford and Fort Worth, Texas, our team of reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists provide advanced infertility treatments to help women with PCOS expand their family. Here, we explain how PCOS affects fertility and describe treatments that can help you get pregnant. 

How PCOS affects fertility

PCOS is a hormonal condition that affects overall health, including reproduction. Women with PCOS produce high amounts of androgen, a male sex hormone, and low amounts of estrogen. Though all women make some androgen, producing too much affects ovulation, when your ovaries release a mature egg during your menstrual cycle.

Ovulation is vital for pregnancy. When your ovaries release an egg, there’s a chance for fertilization when it joins with sperm, leading to pregnancy. Women with PCOS have irregular menstrual cycles and may not ovulate every month or at all. If your ovaries don’t release an egg, you can’t get pregnant.

Excess androgen also increases the risk of developing ovarian cysts, further hindering ovulation. 

Insulin resistance is another issue that many women with PCOS face. Insulin is a hormone that transports glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. Insulin resistance means the cells resist the actions of insulin, blocking glucose from entering. Blood glucose increases, leading to an increase in insulin production.

High levels of insulin increase androgen production, worsening PCOS symptoms.

Getting pregnant with PCOS

PCOS makes it more challenging to get pregnant — but not impossible. Regulating your menstrual cycle so you ovulate is the first action we take to help women with PCOS get pregnant.

While we can prescribe medication that increases ovulation, we usually recommend lifestyle changes first. Women with PCOS may find it difficult to manage their weight. Carrying excess body weight can make it harder to get pregnant, whether you have PCOS or not.

Eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and making sure you get an adequate amount of sleep may help you get to a healthier weight, improving hormone balance and your chances of pregnancy.

If you continue to struggle with conception after implementing lifestyle changes, we turn to prescribing medication that increases ovulation. 

Advanced infertility options

It may take time, but many women with PCOS conceive with lifestyle changes and medication. However, when conservative interventions fail, we may recommend advanced infertility treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF).

For IVF, we retrieve eggs from your ovaries and fertilize them in a lab with your partner’s sperm to create an embryo. We transfer the embryo to your uterus and wait about 10 days to do a pregnancy test to determine if treatment was a success.

We also offer effortless IVF ®, a natural and more affordable form of IVF developed by our own infertility experts. Instead of incubating the embryo in the lab after fertilization, we fertilize the egg in a small plastic device called an INVOcell ® and then place it in your vagina for incubation.

Pregnancy with PCOS is considered high-risk, with increased chances of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and premature birth. We recommend regular visits with your OB/GYN, good nutrition, and daily physical activity to reduce risk of pregnancy-related complications.

You can get pregnant if you have PCOS, especially when you have expert help. Our team specializes in PCOS infertility and can develop a plan that helps grow your family. Call our office today or request an appointment online and find out more about your treatment options.