Professor Balen is the lead Clinician of The Reproductive Medicine Unit at Leeds – one of the largest in the country with over 1100 cycles of IVF per year. He has a particular interest in all aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome and a dedicated PCOS clinic.
For many years has had a particular interest in the causes and management of polycystic ovary syndrome – covering the full spectrum from the effects of the syndrome during adolescence and adult life on the menstrual cycle, fertility, body weight and cosmetic aspects together with the fundamental effects that PCOS may have on quality of life and long term health.
Dr. Balen runs The PCOS Clinic, set up in 1997, which provides support for women and girls of all ages with PCOS and all symptoms from acne, to irregular menstrual cycles to infertility. The clinic also engages in studies and innovative treatments for the many symptoms associated with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Dr. Balen also helps run the ovulation induction program and is undertaking studies of different gonadotrophin stimulation regimens. He has run the first adequately powered, prospective, double-blind placebo controlled RCT on the use of metformin for anovulatory PCOS and in collaboration with Professor David Dunger, Department of Paediatrics Cambridge is exploring the ethnic differences in the expression of PCOS and insulin resistance.
Dr. Balen has autored many papers, works and books about PCOS including The Practical Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (2005) and his new book Positive Options for PCOS.
You can read Dr. Balen's full biography.
