Frederick R. Jelovsek MD Many women with anovulation causing infertility or irregular menses have, or think they have, a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian disease. The term syndrome is used because this appears to be more than one disease. At least there are different combinations of symptoms that have similarities. They are at higher risk for endometrial cancer, hypertension and diabetes in later life. The important factor in the long run is whether there is a metabolic dysfunction such as increased insulin resistance, or impaired glucose tolerance which both have a higher risk of ending up as type 2 diabetes, or at least increase risk for heart disease.
Patients can be obese or non-obese.
They pointed out that you don't always need a precise diagnosis to manage an infertility component or bleeding due to lack of or infrequent ovulation, or even to manage the increased hair growth. In the long run, however, they emphasized determining if there were any metabolic problems. A1c as optional tests if blood sugars are not abnormal and woman is obese. Keep in mind this is my interpretation in a field that experts are not very agreed upon.