• Irregular or no menstruation. This is the most common characteristic. Irregular menstruation means having menstrual cycles that occur at intervals longer than 35 days or fewer than eight times a year. The condition may begin in adolescence with the onset of menstruation, or it may appear later after a weight gain. .

• Obesity. It's estimated that about half of women with polycystic ovary syndrome are obese.
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol

When to seek medical advice
Early diagnosis and treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome may help reduce your risk of long-term complications, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Talk with your doctor if you have irregular, scant or no menstrual periods, are overweight, and have acne or excess facial hair growth. Your doctor may refer you to a doctor who specializes in hormonal disorders (endocrinologist).

Complications
Pregnancy concernsYou may need treatment with fertility medications to become pregnant if you have polycystic ovary syndrome. During pregnancy, you may be at increased risk of gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced high blood pressure.

Treatment
Medications for regulating your menstrual cycle. If you're not trying to become pregnant, your doctor may prescribe low-dose oral contraceptives that combine synthetic estrogen and progesterone. They decrease androgen production and give your body a break from the effects of continuous estrogen. This decreases your risk of endometrial cancer and corrects abnormal bleeding.
An alternative approach is taking progesterone for seven to 10 days each month. This regulates your menstrual cycle and offers protection against endometrial cancer, but it doesn't improve androgen levels.
Your doctor also may prescribe metformin (Glucophage, Glucophage XR), an oral medication for type 2 diabetes that treats insulin resistance. This drug is still being studied as a treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome, but research has demonstrated that it improves ovulation and may reduce androgen levels. However, doctors don't yet know if metformin offers the same protection against endometrial cancer as does treatment with oral contraceptives or with progesterone alone.