Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a common condition that wreaks havoc on hormones and causes physical and psychological damage. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a complex hormonal disturbance that affects the entire body and has numerous implications for general health. Women with this syndrome have, over the course of their life, an increased risk of coronary disease, diabetes and endometrial cancer. PCOS was first diagnosed in 1935 as Stein-Leventhal syndrome. Between 5 and 30 percent of women have some characteristics of PCOS. The disorder is probably the most common hormonal abnormality in women of reproductive age and certainly is a leading cause of infertility. PCOS patients were once dismissed as "Fat" women with no self-control. Doctors still can often miss, or dismiss, the diagnosis because they fail to recognize the diverse set of symptoms as being part of one medical condition.