Pregnancy More Iikely If Women With PCOS Lose Weight

A new study confirms long-held beliefs about fertility in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS); exercise and birth control pills can markedly improve fertility.

A course of birth control pills lasting anywhere between a month to six months is prescribed to control increase in androgens like testosterone that affect fertility. Women with PCOS also gain weight, which is further affects the menstrual cycle. Due to hormone disturbance in severe cases, women report thinning of scalp hair, thickening of body and facial hair besides irregular or absent periods due to anovulation.

According to Zee News, in the latest study researchers divided 149 women into three groups. Each group was either prescribed birth control pills, lifestyle modification or both.

"The findings confirm what we have long suspected - that exercise and a healthy diet can improve fertility in women who have PCOS," said one of the study authors, Richard Legro of Penn State College of Medicine in Pennsylvania, NDTV reports.

PCOS is most common cause of infertility in women of child-bearing age. The exact cause of the syndrome is poorly understood but studies in the past have found that overweight women are at a higher risk of the syndrome. Physical activity aimed at reducing weight has traditionally helped women with fertility issues.