About PCOS Clinic
The Polycystic Ovary Syndrome clinic focuses on providing individualized care to every one of our patients. Our clinic focuses on caring for people with ovaries that have PCOS as well as being overweight. We provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment plan within 1-4 visits, depending on the patient's needs.
To be seen in our clinic, you must obtain a referral from your primary care provider.
Melanie Green, MD | Children's Hospital Colorado (childrenscolorado.org)
Are you under 18 years old and need a one-time overview visit of your PCOS diagnosis and/or treatment plan? This is not to become an ongoing patient.
Related Clinics
Department of Pediatric Endocrinology
This department provides diagnosis, treatment and clinical management for children with conditions of the major endocrine glands, such as the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, gonads, and pancreas.
Endocrinology | Children's Hospital Colorado (childrenscolorado.org)
The Lifestyle Medicine Program
The Lifestyle Medicine Program is a weight management program that provides multidisciplinary treatment options for obese and overweight infants, toddlers, school-aged children, and adolescents.
Their treatment options focus on helping families to negotiate change and build skills in the areas of dieting, activity, and behavior.
Weight Management Program | Children's Hospital Colorado (childrenscolorado.org)
Adult PCOS Multidisciplinary Program
The PCOS Multi-Disciplinary program is a collaboration between various disciplines that aims to provide comprehensive and collaborative care to individuals with PCOS. They provide team care for adult patients across the life span.
PCOS Multi-Disciplinary Program | CU Department of OB-GYN (cuanschutz.edu)
About PCOS
Picture from group clinic
What is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)?
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a health issue that can affect women and teens of the reproductive age. This condition occurs when teens have extra testosterone (a male hormone) in their body. Due to the increased amount of testosterone, the physical symptoms of PCOS start to show.
PCOS affects the menstrual cycle. hair growth, skin, weight, and the ability to have children.
What can cause PCOS?
PCOS is thought to be caused by a mixture of genetic factors and weight gain. Many teens who have PCOS are overweight, and more than half have family members with either PCOS or type 2 diabetes.
Weight Gain
For overweight teens, decreased physical activity causes weight gain, which increases the amount of insulin in the body. As a result, the increased level of insulin causes more testosterone to be released from the ovaries. The extra testosterone causes the physical symptoms of PCOS, like hair growth.
Excess Testosterone
In all women with PCOS, the ovaries don't work very well. In a healthy female, once a month the ovaries make a follicle (where an egg grows). As the follicle grows, it makes hormones and then it releases an egg. This is commonly referred to as ovulation.
However, the ovary in a woman who has PCOS makes many small follicles instead of one big follicle. The follicles look like cysts on ultrasound, thus giving us the name polycystic ovaries. Although the follicles are harmless, hormone levels become out of balance and ovulation doesn't happen every month the way it is supposed to due to the increased amount of follicles. As a result, periods become irregular or stop altogether.
Who gets PCOS?
Often, PCOS is diagnosed in female adolescents. PCOS can be difficult to diagnose during this stage of life, due to the overlap of normal pubertal developmental symptoms and PCOS symptoms. Genetic factors play a role in causing PCOS, but this condition is also caused by weight gain and other currently unknown factors. This condition is common, 5-10% of all women have PCOS.
More Information on PCOS
Center for Young Women’s Health
PCOS Challenge
PCOS Challenge: The National PCOS Association
PCOS Awareness Association
PCOS Awareness Association (pcosaa.org)