To diagnose PCOS, a patient must have how many of the three key features?

To diagnose PCOS, a patient must have how many of the three key features?

• A. Two of the three: oligo/anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and polycystic ovaries on ultrasound
• B. All three features are required
• C. Only one feature is required
• D. None

Answer: (A)

Diagnosing PCOS relies on two of three features: irregular or absent ovulation (oligo/anovulation), clinical or biochemical signs of excess androgens (hyperandrogenism), and polycystic-appearing ovaries on ultrasound. You don’t need all three for the diagnosis; two of these features are sufficient, provided other causes of similar symptoms (like thyroid disease, Cushing syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or androgen-secreting tumors) have been ruled out. This means you can have irregular cycles with hirsutism, or irregular cycles with polycystic-appearing ovaries, or hyperandrogenism with polycystic ovaries, and still meet the criteria. An ultrasound finding alone isn’t enough if the other two features aren’t present.

Diagnosing PCOS relies on two of three features: irregular or absent ovulation (oligo/anovulation), clinical or biochemical signs of excess androgens (hyperandrogenism), and polycystic-appearing ovaries on ultrasound. You don’t need all three for the diagnosis; two of these features are sufficient, provided other causes of similar symptoms (like thyroid disease, Cushing syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or androgen-secreting tumors) have been ruled out. This means you can have irregular cycles with hirsutism, or irregular cycles with polycystic-appearing ovaries, or hyperandrogenism with polycystic ovaries, and still meet the criteria. An ultrasound finding alone isn’t enough if the other two features aren’t present.