Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, affects women at a rate of about 6-12% of women of reproductive age in the US, making it one of the most common causes of female struggles with fertility. PCOS is usually classified as an endocrine disorder. As research stands at this time, there is no exact proof that PCOS is an autoimmune disease. But it very well could be. Or at least the two are likely to coexist in women.

To understand what links PCOS has with autoimmunity, we first have to understand what’s going on in the body of a woman experiencing PCOS and autoimmune disease. We need to know what underlying dysfunctions are driving PCOS and autoimmune disease – and then understand why these two conditions may be linked. We’ll discuss all of this below. 

What is an autoimmune disease?

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, an autoimmune disease is a condition in which the body’s natural defense system (the immune system) can’t differentiate your own cells from foreign cells. There are different types of autoimmune conditions in which certain cells or tissues in the body may be involved. “Foreign cells” often refer to food particles that, because of improper immune responses relating to autoimmunity, the body sees as harmful and mobilizes an attack against them.