Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Asma Ahmad. I'm a reproductive endocrinology and fertility specialist, and I'm also co-founder and chief medical officer of Carrot Fertility. Today I wanted to talk about how someone can be diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which is also known as PCOS. Now, PCOS can present differently in people.

So everyone's experience with it may be different. To be diagnosed with PCOS, you need to have 2 out of the 3 following categories. So number 1, irregular or no ovulation, which for some people can present as having irregular periods. Number 2, 1 or both ovaries that have what's called polycystic ovary morphology. So this means that either you meet the criteria of having a certain number of follicles on your ovaries or have enlarged ovaries that are certain size or larger.

And number 3, clinical or laboratory findings of hyperandrogenism or elevated male hormones like testosterone. And clinically, this may mean you have severe acne or excess hair growth for example. Now having PCOS can impact your fertility and even your overall health so it's very important to know if you have it without delay. If you think you might have PCOS, it's best to see a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist sooner rather than later and have a comprehensive workup completed. No harm will be done from doing a workup and knowledge is power in this situation.