Where All the Girls Have PCOS

I haven't been here very long, but I've already seen 9 young women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.  Many have the classic symptoms of irregular menses with anovulatory cycles and hyperandrogenism manifested by acne and male pattern hair distribution on the upper lip/chin & linea alba/periumbilical region; some even have the characteristic ovaries with multiple tiny cysts.  One thing they all have in common is their desire to become pregnant; most of these ladies are between the ages of 19 and 23 and newly married.  Seeing 9 versions of the same problem is like being in some kind of bizarre Medical Twilight Zone.  I found myself prescribing clomiphene for the first time in an attempt to induce ovulation in a 22-year-old with normal FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) levels and no symptoms of premature ovarian failure; she had been using an ovulation kit every month and was able to document that the last time she ovulated was 12 months ago!