Yes, someone with PCOS can have twins, although the likelihood depends on how they are ovulating.
Here's a breakdown:
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Naturally Ovulating with PCOS: If a woman with PCOS begins ovulating due to lifestyle changes like diet and exercise leading to weight loss, her chance of having twins is similar to women without PCOS, around 1%.
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PCOS and Fertility Treatments: The biggest impact on twin pregnancies in women with PCOS comes from fertility treatments. PCOS often involves ovulation problems, and fertility treatments like ovulation induction medications (e.g., Clomid, Letrozole) or IVF (in vitro fertilization) are often used to help women with PCOS conceive. These treatments significantly increase the chance of having twins (or higher-order multiples) due to:
- Ovulation Induction Medications: These drugs stimulate the ovaries to release multiple eggs in a single cycle, increasing the chance that more than one egg will be fertilized.
- IVF: In IVF, multiple embryos are sometimes transferred to the uterus to increase the chances of implantation and pregnancy. This can result in a multiple pregnancy, including twins.
Therefore, while women with PCOS who conceive naturally have a similar chance of twins as other women, those undergoing fertility treatments have a significantly higher chance.
