Common questions
How is PCOS actually diagnosed?
PCOS is diagnosed with the Rotterdam criteria: a clinician looks for at least two of three features — irregular or absent ovulation, signs of excess androgens (like excess hair or acne, or blood tests), and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound — after excluding other conditions.
Can this quiz diagnose PCOS?
No. This is an educational self-check that counts common features. Only a clinician can diagnose PCOS, because its symptoms overlap with thyroid problems, high prolactin, and other conditions that need to be ruled out.
Can you have PCOS with regular periods?
Yes. Diagnosis needs two of three features — irregular ovulation, excess androgen, and polycystic ovaries on scan — so a woman with regular cycles can still qualify on the other two. This phenotype is routinely missed because regular periods are treated as ruling PCOS out.
Do you need an ultrasound to be diagnosed?
Not always. If you already have irregular cycles plus clinical or blood-test evidence of excess androgen, the criteria are met without a scan. Ultrasound is also unreliable in the first years after periods start, when multi-follicular ovaries are normal.
Does PCOS go away after menopause?
The cycle symptoms do, because there are no cycles left. The metabolic part does not — insulin resistance, higher cardiovascular risk and the tendency to central weight gain persist and matter more with age, which is why PCOS is worth knowing about long after periods stop.