Understanding PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome—commonly known as PCOS—is the most common hormonal disorder affecting girls and women of reproductive age. Experts estimate that 10% to 20% of women in their fertile years live with PCOS. While some causes are congenital or hereditary, others may be influenced by lifestyle and environmental factors—and the exact mechanisms are still being researched.
PCOS is not just one condition, but rather a heterogeneous disorder. That means it’s a collection of symptoms—especially androgen excess (elevated male hormones) and anovulatory cycles—with different underlying causes. It can significantly affect fertility and overall well-being.
Despite the name, PCOS is not necessarily about ovarian cysts. The “cysts” seen on ultrasound are actually just immature follicles—normal parts of ovulation that don’t fully develop. According to some studies You can have polycystic ovaries and not have PCOS, and vice versa.
The best definition of PCOS is androgen excess, once all other causes have been ruled out. These androgens (like testosterone) influence your cycles, skin, hair, metabolism, and mood.
Most women are diagnosed between ages 20 and 40, often after experiencing one or more of the following symptoms:
- Irregular or long menstrual cycles (35+ days)
- Infertility or skipped ovulations
- Acne or oily skin
- Dark skin patches (neck, underarms)
- Excess body or facial hair (hirsutism)
- Hair loss or thinning (especially at the hairline)
- Deepening of the voice or more “masculine” physique
- Mood changes or depressive symptoms
The most common cause of PCOS is insulin resistance. This means your body produces chronically high levels of insulin, which can disrupt hormone balance and impair fat metabolism.
Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas, and it plays a central role in how your body uses and stores energy. Think of it as a key that unlocks your cells so they can take in glucose (sugar) from your bloodstream and use it for energy.
Insulin resistance is also a key feature of metabolic syndrome. To assess it accurately, it's best to measure fasting insulin, triglycerides, or ALT levels (talk to your doctor about these tests). It's important to know that normal blood glucose may not detect early-stage insulin resistance.
This is why it's especially important to stabilise blood sugar during perimenopause, as hormonal shifts can make blood sugar regulation more challenging.
During perimenopause—the transitional years leading up to menopause—levels of oestrogen and progesterone begin to fluctuate and eventually decline. These hormones don’t just influence your menstrual cycle; they also play key roles in how your body responds to insulin and manages blood sugar.
Daysy and Lady-Comp can be a valuable tool for monitoring your cycle, fertility window, your hormonal balance during perimenopause and PCOS treatment progress.
How it works:
- Tracks basal body temperature daily
- Identifies ovulation and fertile days with 99.4% accuracy
- Helps both you and your gynaecologist visualise your cycle trends
Many women with PCOS who ovulate use Daysy to monitor the success of lifestyle changes or drug therapies. Daysy can help you visualise and track your cycles with your basal body temperature taken daily. It shows you if you’ve ovulated and how long your cycle was in total. This information is useful not only for you, but also for your gynaecologist. Even with PCOS, Daysy reliably distinguishes between fertile and infertile days 99.4% of the time. However, in cycles without ovulation, you will see significantly more red and yellow days ("possibly fertile" and "unclear" respectively). In cycles with ovulation, Daysy will jump to green (for "infertile") after ovulation has been detected.
In short, with PCOS, Daysy (or Lady-Comp):
- Confirms whether ovulation has occurred, which is the sign that your hormonal health is improving
- Shows more yellow (uncertain/fertile) days during irregular cycles