A small, but important, new study shows that women with PCOS do have babies at almost the same rate as women without PCOS. The difference is that for many women with PCOS, they begin to ovulate regularly a bit later in life as their hormones settle out a bit. For women without PCOS, ovulation slows down as they move into their 30's. For women with PCOS, as ovulation slows down, it allows for better ovulation and fewer cysts.

The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, looked at the reproductive history of 91 women diagnosed with PCOS and 87 non-PCOS controls, all study participants were 35 or older. Participants in the study were asked about the number and timing of babies and results from women with PCOS and without PCOS were compared. Among women who had attempted to have children, 86.7% of PCOS patients and 91.6% of controls had given birth to at least one child. Among women with PCOS who had given birth, 73.6% had gotten pregnant on their own, without medical intervention.

As I have noted in other articles, women who have babies without help are rarely diagnosed with PCOS, even if they have all of the other symptoms. PCOS makes it harder to have a baby, but it does not rule it out.

While this study is pretty small, it fits with the answers I have gotten in surveys and anecdotal evidence from the many women who have shared their stories with me. Most women w

For many years now I have suspected a trend towards women with PCOS getting pregnant on their own a bit later in life. Over and over, women tell me that they tried for years, then were able to have babies without help.

You can read about the study in New Scientist magazine and I have also included a link directly to the study.

New Scientist Article

Link to Study

Now, we know that for women who ovulate normally, fertility decreases over time. Apparently, for women with PCOS there is an increase in fertility before it decreases again.

My advice (after waiting until my late 30's for that first baby to finally maker her appearance)? If you are ready to have a baby, try for one. If it doesn't happen right away and you are in your early to mid 20's, find something wonderful to do with your time while you wait. You'll cherish the things you accomplished during that time long after the babies do finally make their appearance.