By Sasha Ottey
There is so much confusion surrounding PCOS, and there is quite a bit of debate going on in the medical community as well. In the US, there is an National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria for diagnosing PCOS; however, more recently, there is another proposed diagnostic criteria by the Rotterdam European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)/American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).Here is a breakdown of the NIH and Rotterdam diagnostic criteria for diagnosing PCOS:NIH Diagnostic Criteria:
- hyperandrogenism ( including hirsutism, acne, and/or other classic symptoms caused by excessive male hormones) or hyperandrogenemia (excess male hormones being made but not necessarily presenting with the symptoms (for example hirsutism)
- oligo ovulation (irregular ovulation - the frequency of or the decreased amount of normal egg maturation)
- exclusion (ruling out) of other possible or like disorders or diseases
- oligo- or anovulation (irregular or no ovulation)
- hyperandrogenism ( including hirsutism, acne, and/or other classic symptoms caused by excessive male hormones) or hyperandrogenemia (excess male hormones being made but not necessarily presenting with the symptoms (for example hirsutism)
- polycystic ovaries
- women with normal ovulation, polycystic ovaries, and excess male hormones and/or classic symptoms such as hirsutism and acne1
- women with abnormal ovulation and polycystic ovaries, but without excess male hormones1
