A condition that causes brief episodes of apnea ( stopping of breathing – a pause) during sleep.Pauses can last from a few seconds to a minute, and can occur multiple times throughout the night.

Sleep apnea presents itself as snoring, pauses in breathing followed by a gasp for breath and frequent, disturbed sleep.

Snoring alone isn’t serious, but if a person is experiencing snoring with sleep apnea, the situation can cause serious complications like high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes,

In women with PCOS, sleep apnea can exacerbate other PCOS symptoms such as tiredness, difficulty losing weight, hypertension and insulin resistance.

Many women report feeling tired and day time sleepiness, but some may also feel depressed and experience unexplained moodiness.

Treatment for PCOS includes medication, nutritional counseling and weight loss.

Weight loss can help improve sleep apnea, but treatment for sleep apnea itself can have a marked improvement on a woman’s life.

A CPAP machine and alternatively an oral device that pulls the jaw forward may be an option for treatment of sleep apnea.