Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Definition and Diagnosis

This thesis is being archived as a Digitized Shelf Copy for campus access to current students and staff only. We currently cannot provide this open access without the author's permission. If you are the author of this work and desire to provide it open access or wish access removed, please contact the Wahlstrom Library to discuss permission.Objective: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder of many systems including the endocrine, reproductive, metabolic, and psychological systems. Classically, PCOS is characterized by ovulatory dysfunction with infertility, hirsutism/hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and obesity. This thesis will aim at providing a literature review and will explore the mechanism in which this disorder manifests, and how clinicians diagnose and decide to treat and manage such cases. Basic Procedures: Articles and reviews were acquired through searching databases and journals on myEureka! and PubMed. Research focused on the diagnosis, characterization, treatment, and sequelae of PCOS. Papers were only chosen if published in the past twenty years. Main Findings: There were discrepancies over the diagnostic criteria that define PCOS. The prevalence was difficult to determine due to the inconsistencies in definition. Pharmaceutical and natural interventions were found to be standard across the board, with both addressing the matters of weight loss, insulin re-sensitization, and hormone balancing. It was interesting to note, the consistency in themes regarding the treatment of PCOS from both the naturopathic and conventional approaches. Principal Conclusions: PCOS is becoming more prevalent in the realm of endocrine disorders today. Treatment is essential due to the seriousness of possible conditions that arise if left untreated or managed. Naturopathic treatment including botanicals, lifestyle management, and nutrient supplementation are non-invasive and do not carry the side-effect burden of pharmaceutical agents. This thesis will briefly review both naturopathic and conventional therapeutic options, after addressing the pathophysiology, and diagnostic criteria of PCOS