Women of any age and race, as long as they have gone through the stage of womanhood, have experienced irregularity or non-existent periods in some time of their lives. However, some are suffering from cases where they do not actually menstruate. Some may think that this is good and this is freedom from the pain, but in reality, it may lead to more serious problems. This occurrence is one of the symptoms of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS.

It is one of the most common female endocrine disorders that affect 1 out of 10 women in the reproductive age. Basically, hormonal imbalance is present, thus causing irregular periods or extremely heavy period flows. The presence of acne, unwanted hair growth, weight gain and patches of dark skin at the back your neck and other areas are just some of the symptoms that you may have PCOS.

Let us review the menstrual cycle and get a deeper understanding on how Polycystic Ovary Syndrome occurs.
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The average menstrual cycle occurs every lunar cycle or 28 days. But most women experience their menstrual cycles at the range of 22 to 32 days, depending on their condition, moods, diets and other factors that affect this.

During menstrual cycle, hormonal levels change according to the phase and induce menstruation and ovulation. The purpose of this is to prepare the body for pregnancy.

The menstrual cycle can be divided into two major parts: the follicular phase and the luteal phase. The menstrual cycle begins when the brain transmits Lutenizing Hormones (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormones (FSH) to the ovaries. A lot of LH tells the ovaries that it is time to ovulate and release an egg. Ovulation often occurs at the 14th to 16th day of the cycle.

Once the egg is released, it travels down to the fallopian tube and makes its way to the uterus. The hormone progesterone from the ovary tells the lining of the uterus to thicken as it waits for a sperm. If the egg is not fertilized, the lining of the uterus is shed and thus menstruation begins.

While with PCOS menstrual cycle, the LH levels are already high. Since the LH levels are already high, there will be no more LH surge and no ovulation will occur. Thus, the period will be irregular.

Women who have PCOS menstrual cycles experience irregular periods is because their ovaries do not receive the right hormonal signals from your pituitary gland. Without those signals, these women will not have the ability to ovulate and thus have irregular periods or none at all.

Those who have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or PCOS should never feel depressed and anxious. You are not alone. In fact, discovering this disorder at this stage is a blessing for it did not take a while to get worse. Remember to keep in touch with a health care provider or a gynecologist for you to get diagnosed. Professional help is better than relying on whatnots and hearsays.