PCOS

[bstar2090]

Hello I was wondering how women with PCOS should think about abnormal bleeding. Should it always be thought of as a PCOS symptom or could it sometimes be a sign of cancer and how would we be able to tell the difference ?

Many thanks
Becky

[Dr Varsha Jain]

Dear Becky

Thank you for your question. PCOS can lead to ovulatory disorders and hence lead to a disturbance in how one menstruates. It is important to have a period every 3 months, approximately, whether that is naturally or with the help of medication, when a person has PCOS. If a person with PCOS has less than 3-4 bleeds per year, then the risk of the lining of the womb thickening starts to increase, and this increase the risk of pre-cancerous cells developing.

If a person has PCOS, they should be more aware of any abnormal bleeding for them, and report it to their GP sooner rather than later as the overall risk of abnormal thickening of the womb in women with PCOS is higher than the "normal" population.

I hope that helps.

Varsha