Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects the fertility of women of childbearing age by causing the formation of numerous fluid-filled follicles in their ovaries. Some of the symptoms associated with the condition include absence of menses or infrequent menses, absence of ovum (egg) formation or infrequent ovum formation, irregular bleeding, increased level of male hormones in women, increased hair growth on the face and body, dandruff, oily skin, excess weight gain causing obesity and pelvic pain.
Women with PCOS also experience fertility problems, causing difficulty in conceiving, which may be related to increased levels of the hormone insulin or glucose levels in the body. Elevated levels of luteinising hormone reduce the probability of conception and increase the risk of miscarriage. It is noted that about 70% of the women with difficulties in ovulation have reduced fertility. Also, women with PCOS have a 30% to 50% risk of miscarriage, which is about three times higher than women without PCOS. Thus, PCOS is a concerning issue that needs to be managed appropriately.
Although PCOS cannot be correlated with any gynaecological condition in Ayurveda, it can be described as artava kshaya (oligomenorrhoea – scanty menses), which is the most common symptom among the affected women. Dysmenorrhoea (painful menses) is also a common symptom among women with PCOS. The Ayurvedic treatment prescribed for PCOS includes deepana and pachana (digestive therapy), shodhana chikitsa (cleansing therapy), vamana karma (therapeutic emesis), virechana (purgation) and basti (enema). The ayurvedic herbs useful in PCOS include guduchi (heart-leaved moonseed), amalaki (Indian gooseberry), haridra (turmeric), ashwagandha (Indian ginseng), karela (bitter gourd), Shatavari (asparagus), maricha (black pepper), and the ayurvedic medicines for PCOS include chandraprabha vati, shatapushpadi ghanvati and pathadi choorna.