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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Used to be called Stein-Leventhal Syndrome. This condition is characterized by excessive production of androgen hormones in women, resulting in such symptoms as acne, increased facial and body hair growth, irregular menstrual cycles and infertility. From 5 to 10 percent of American women have PCOS. About 60 percent of women with PCOS are obese; many also are at increased risk of having heart disease and diabetes. The syndrome is often accompanied by enlarged ovaries containing multiple small cysts. The cysts are the result of incomplete ovulations. During the normal ovulatory process, an egg is matured in an ovarian follicle, which then ruptures and releases the egg. In women with PCOS, high levels of hormones called androgens halt the follicle's development, leaving an enlarged follicle containing the immature egg. These follicles, whose appearance on ultrasound is sometimes likened to a string of pearls, are the cysts observed in PCOS.