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PCOS Center

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About The AIA PCOS Center

We are pleased to welcome you to the American Infertility Associations PCOS Center, an online resource to provide information and support to women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

The American Infertility Association (AIA), headquartered in New York City, is a national organization dedicated to assisting women and men facing decisions related to family building and reproductive health from prevention and treatment to social and psychological concerns. The mission of AIA is to serve as a lifetime resource for those needing reproductive information and support. In addition, AIA is committed to reproductive health through advocacy, education, awareness building and research funding.

AIA recognizes that PCOS is not just an infertility issue but carries with it a number of lifetime medical and emotional concerns and risks, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, endometrial cancer and hirsutism.

AIA provides a host of services for women with PCOS, including meetings and support groups. On October 17, 1999, AIA and Mt. Sinai Hospital presented the first-ever full day lay conference devoted to PCOS in the New York City area. The conference featured fifteen of the leading doctors and nutritionists working in the field and included talks on topics such as PCOS and Infertility, Breakthrough Medications for PCOS, PCOS in Women Over 40, Ovulation Induction and IVF for the PCOS Patient, Alternative Therapies, Hirsutism and Body Issues, Insulin Resistance, Glucose Intolerance and Diabetes, An Overview of Low Carbohydrate Diets, and Genetics and PCOS.

Upcoming events include a PCOS Track at AIA's Infertility and Adoption Conference 2000 to be held on Sunday, March 5, 2000. PCOS Workshops will include: An Overview of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Managing Your PCOS and Fertility Drugs and PCOS: What's the Best Choice? For a full roster of speakers and workshops, click on Special Events. On March 21st, AIA will host a live PCOS Chat on line, moderated by Dr. Richard Grazi of Brooklyn IVF. Check the website for details. An upcoming issue of the AIA newsletter will feature an article on PCOS by Dr. Samuel Thatcher. Finally, watch this website for some great articles about PCOS by leading practitioners and researchers.

We have also worked hard to get media attention focused on PCOS. Recent coverage has included a story on Good Morning America featuring interviews with Dr. Rogerio Lobo, a leading PCOS researcher and clinician and AIA board member and PCOS Conference co-chair Ellen Friedman Bender. The March issue of Ladies Home Journal features an in-depth article on PCOS based on an interview with AIA board member and PCOS Conference co-chair Beth Kushnick. Channel 7-Eyewitness News in New York City aired a story on PCOS featuring Ellen Friedman Bender and one of our conference speakers, Dr. Alan Copperman and News Channel 4 ran a story featuring Dr. Copperman and Renee Davenport, a conference attendee. Keep your eyes out for more articles and television coverage on PCOS in the next few months.

As we look to the future, we plan to add an increased presence on the internet to those services, including a PCOS Study Center which will list ongoing research studies, a dedicated PCOS Message Board in addition to the AIA general message board, more PCOS online chats, a list of links to other PCOS sites on the internet, a PCOS bibliography and more articles by medical professionals. And, of course, we would love to hear from you about any other resources you think would be helpful in coping with PCOS. We are also always looking for volunteers to help with our programs and our website. Please send all inquiries and suggestions to and indicate that you are writing about our PCOS programs.
Thank you.

Living with PCOS - Support Group

The American Infertility Association, headquartered in New York City, is pleased to offer a support group for women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Health-related concerns as well as issues of body image (obesity, hirsutism, acne, hair loss) and infertility will be addressed.

The group provides a place where women, in groups of 8-15 members, can share feelings and experiences while supporting each other. The group meets once a week for 1 and ½ hours on a weekday evening over the course of several months. Groups are led by mental health professionals at a fee of $30 per session.

For More Information, contact: Sara Barris, Psy.D., Co-Director of AIA Support Groups, at .

POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME What is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)? by Daniel E. Stein, MD Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal diseases affecting reproductive-aged women.

	New Directions in the Treatment of PCOS by Ellen Friedman Bender Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder affecting between 5 percent and 10 percent of women of reproductive age. Although many people correctly associate PCOS with impaired fertility - chronic anovulation and hyperandrogenism (elevated male hormones) are two of its cardinal symptoms, it is more than an infertility disorder.

1999 AIA PCOS Conference Summary by Ellen Friedman Bender AIA board member and PCOS volunteer, Ellen Friedman Bender, reports on the medical information she learned at AIA's 1999 PCOS Conference.

	PCOS - A Reproductive and Metabolic Disorder by Beth Kushnick Polycystic ovarian syndrome, considered the most under diagnosed of all womens health disorders, is characterized by a collection of symptoms.

PCOS News Alert: FDA Reviewing Rezulin Deaths by Ellen Friedman Bender The New York Times reported on February 23, 2000 that the Food and Drug Administration is investigating the recent increase in deaths caused by the diabetes medication Rezulin.

	Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome by Loren Wissner Greene, M.D. Polycystic ovary syndrome is a syndrome, not a disease, because it may be due to a number of different diseases that have a similar clinical appearance.

Visit AIA's PCOS Study Guide

A list of ongoing or upcoming research studies or clinical trials of interest to women with PCOS

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The AIA is seeking volunteers to help it reach out to the many men and women that need its services. Learn more about becoming a volunteer for AIA.

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This Page Last Updated February 2, 2000

Webpage Copyright (c) 1999,2000 by The American Infertility Association - Web Page Created and Maintained by Kai Madsen, Pam's Husband