--- title: "PCOS: long-term health and emotional wellbeing" description: "The checks recommended for diabetes, heart health and the womb lining, plus support with sleep, mood and eating problems." url: "https://myruva.co/learn/pcos-long-term-health-and-wellbeing" language: "en-GB" topic: "PCOS" published: "2026-10-18" updated: "2026-10-19" author: "Ruva team" reading_minutes: 4 --- # PCOS: long-term health and emotional wellbeing The checks recommended for diabetes, heart health and the womb lining, plus support with sleep, mood and eating problems. *Written and reviewed by the Ruva team · Updated 2026-10-19 · PCOS* ## Key points - PCOS care covers your long-term physical and emotional health, not just your periods. - Checks on blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure are part of follow-up. - PCOS raises the risk of womb (endometrial) cancer, but the overall chance is still low. - Depression, anxiety, eating problems and sleep apnoea deserve to be checked and supported. A PCOS review can cover blood pressure, sleep and emotional wellbeing, even if periods aren’t your main worry. The international guideline treats PCOS as a lifelong condition and recommends care in all these areas. PCOS now has a new name: polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). Both names mean the same condition. This article uses PCOS because it’s the name you may already know. ## Blood glucose and heart-health checks PCOS is linked with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, whatever your age or body size. The guideline recommends checking blood sugar when PCOS is diagnosed, in adults and teenagers. After that, it should be checked every one to three years, depending on your other risk factors. The guideline says the oral glucose tolerance test is the most accurate way to check blood sugar with PCOS. This test checks how your body handles sugar. It’s different from measuring insulin. The guideline doesn’t recommend routine insulin tests, because they’re of little use in guiding care. A blood test for cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats), called a lipid profile, is recommended at diagnosis, whatever your age or body size. When it’s repeated depends on the results and your overall risk of heart disease. Blood pressure checks are recommended once a year, and when planning a pregnancy or fertility treatment. The guideline finds a higher risk of heart and blood vessel disease. It also notes that the overall risk before menopause is low. These checks help your clinician talk with you about prevention. Heart disease isn’t certain to happen. Ask when your next checks are due and who will arrange them. ## The womb lining and infrequent periods PCOS raises the risk of endometrial hyperplasia (thickening of the womb lining) and of womb cancer. The overall chance of that cancer is still low, so the guideline doesn’t recommend routine screening for everyone with PCOS. Going a long time without periods, without treatment, adds to that risk. A clinician can talk about ways to make your cycles more regular, and progestogen treatment to help protect the lining. Ask about this if your periods are very far apart, even if you aren’t planning a pregnancy. The advice against routine screening doesn’t mean new bleeding symptoms can wait. Contact your GP (UK), or your doctor (US or elsewhere), soon for bleeding or spotting after menopause, bleeding between periods, or periods that have become unusually heavy for you. Don’t wait for your next planned PCOS review. ## Snoring and tiredness deserve attention Sleep apnoea means your breathing stops and starts many times while you sleep. It’s more common with PCOS, whatever your body size. The guideline recommends a check if you snore and also wake up unrefreshed, feel sleepy in the day or feel very tired. If you have that mix of symptoms, book a GP appointment in the UK, or see your doctor in the US or elsewhere. Describe what you notice during the day and anything someone else has noticed about your sleep. Ask whether you need a sleep test. ## Mood, eating and body image are part of care The guideline recommends screening for depression in adults and teenagers with PCOS, and for anxiety in adults. There’s no agreed best time between these checks. Follow-up depends on your symptoms, risk factors and what’s happening in your life. Clinicians need to think about eating disorders and unhealthy eating patterns at any weight, especially when talking about lifestyle changes. Distress about how your body looks, and the social effects of symptoms, can also affect wellbeing. These worries deserve to be checked. They don’t mean you’re not trying hard enough with your PCOS care. If you’re diagnosed with depression, anxiety or an eating disorder, psychological therapy is recommended. Treatment is guided by what you prefer and by local guidance. Therapy backed by evidence can also help with distress about your body. In the US, a primary care provider can start a mental health check and arrange a referral. In the UK, ask your GP about treatment and how to get care. Elsewhere, talk to your usual doctor. At an appointment, a simple sentence is enough: “Worry about my symptoms is affecting my day,” or “Advice about food and weight has become hard for me.” Ask for help with these worries as part of your care plan. ## Getting urgent support Call 999 now in the UK, 911 in the US, or your local emergency number if your life is in danger or you can’t keep yourself safe. For urgent mental health help in the UK, contact an urgent GP service. In England, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. In the US, call or text 988. Elsewhere, contact your local urgent mental health service. In the UK, Samaritans will listen for free on 116 123, at any time. It’s a listening service, so use emergency services if there’s immediate danger. ## When to get help - **Emergency:** Call 999 now (UK), 911 (US), or your local emergency number if your life is in danger or you can’t keep yourself safe. - **Same day:** Contact an urgent GP service (UK), call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option in England, call or text 988 (US), or contact your local urgent mental health service elsewhere if you need urgent mental health help. - **Book an appointment:** Book a GP appointment (UK), or see your doctor (US or elsewhere), for low mood or anxiety that won’t lift, eating problems, or snoring with sleepiness in the day, and to agree your PCOS check-ups. Contact your GP (UK), or your doctor (US or elsewhere), soon for bleeding or spotting after menopause, bleeding between periods, or periods that have become unusually heavy for you. Don’t wait for your next planned PCOS review. ## Where you live Services and advice differ between countries. - **UK:** A GP can talk about treatment and how to get mental health care. In England, NHS 111 has a mental health option for urgent help. - **US:** A primary care provider can check mental health worries and arrange a referral. Call or text 988 for crisis support. Call 911 if a life is in danger. - **Elsewhere:** WHO describes PCOS as lasting beyond the years when you can have children, with effects on physical health, body image and emotional wellbeing. ## Sources 1. [Recommendations from the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome](https://www.asrm.org/practice-guidance/practice-committee-documents/recommendations-from-the-2023-international-evidence-based-guideline-for-the-assessment-and-management-of-polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome-2023/), American Society for Reproductive Medicine 2. [Polycystic ovary syndrome](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/polycystic-ovary-syndrome), World Health Organization 3. [Where to get urgent help for mental health](https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/), NHS 4. [Help for Mental Illnesses](https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help), National Institute of Mental Health 5. [Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome-pmos/), NHS 6. [Polycystic ovary syndrome](https://womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/polycystic-ovary-syndrome), Office on Women's Health 7. [Talk to us on the phone](https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/talk-us-phone/), Samaritans 8. [Womb (uterus) cancer - Symptoms](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/womb-cancer/symptoms/), NHS --- This guide is general information to help you keep and use your own records. It isn’t medical advice. If you’re worried about a symptom, or something changes suddenly, talk to a doctor, nurse or pharmacist.