I have a friend who is obese, has facial hair and has trouble with her periods. After having tests done, she learned she had this illness.
Many doctors tell patients that their symptoms are all in their heads.
My friend had cancer as a result of delayed diagnosis. In 1935 Drs. Stein and Leventhal published a list of signs and symptoms that constituted polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome. They included in their criteria obesity, large ovaries studded with cysts, irregular or absent menstrual periods, facial hair and, in most cases, infertility. Today, polycystic ovary syndrome embraces a far larger group of women, not all of whom have every criterion listed by Stein and Leventhal.