First, the hair loss. The type of hair loss or baldness common in men and often referred to as male pattern baldness is an inherited trait that requires the male sex hormone testosterone for its expression. Women may inherit the trait, but because their testosterone production is overwhelmed by estrogen during much of their lives, the baldness is not expressed. The PCO syndrome includes loss of normal periods, infertility, hirsutism and insulin resistance.
Obesity is often present, and the development of diabetes is fairly common.
Ovaries enlarged by the presence of many cysts are usually seen. The PCO syndrome is found in about 6 percent of women of childbearing age. Surprisingly, the abnormality that seems to underlie many of the changes in the PCO syndrome is the insulin resistance, which causes the body to produce excess insulin. It is this excess insulin that appears to inhibit ovulation, leading to the development of ovarian cysts, and to stimulate the excretion of excessive amounts of testosterone and other male sex hormones. Ultrasound examination of the ovaries, which is most accurate if done through the vagina, is the test that usually clinches the diagnosis in a woman with suggestive symptoms.