If you have PCOS, AACE recommends:
_Get checked for diabetes by age 30, and regularly thereafter. Most PCOS patients have insulin resistance, and early treatment can prevent worsening that causes full-blown diabetes and kidney, eye, nerve and heart damage, Cobin says.
_Get regular checks for, and aggressive treatment of, high blood pressure and bad cholesterol.
_Diet and exercise are crucial. Patients also should be considered for treatment with a diabetes medicine called metformin, especially if they're overweight. It seems to reduce excess androgens and improve menstrual regularity and ovulation.
However, metformin comes with side effects, some serious, that limit its use. So newer diabetes drugs, such as Avandia and Actos, are being studied as alternatives.
_Certain birth-control pills and androgen blockers such as the drug spironolactone are options for skin and hair symptoms.
