I have PCOS, or did. I don't have any of those parts anymore, thankfully. I was told at 19 that between very low hormone levels, polycycstic ovaries and some other problem I cannot remember the name of, plus a badly tilted/out of place uterus, I would not be capable of getting or staying pregnant. The doctor speculated that I probably would lose any child I might conceive and in his mind birth control would be a waste of my money and if I was his kid he would suggest condoms to prevent disease but babies were not a concern. Well, he was an idiot.
I have 3 kids, and I lost one at 9 weeks. The first two we think the pill gave me enough of a hormone boost to get pregnant. Triphasil (spelled wrong probably) was the one I was on and the docs swore that it was the best choice. I had been taking medications daily for years and took them at the same time exactly by an alarm every day. No missed doses, no medications that would interfere, and both kids are adults now. I didn't go into labor right, but other than that had no problems with the pregnancy other than normal ones and migraines, which I always had. The tilted uterus made labor take longer, and my cervix needed medications to go into labor (the one to start labor is the one that I needed) and that was with all 3. each time they wanted to do a c section and I refused though I don't fully understand why. I just felt that as long as the baby was okay (and they did the internal scalp monitor with all 3) then it was going to be the regular way unless I passed out. It was some gut instinct feeling that I listened to thought I really don't know why my body was telling me that.
Later I did some research and iwth the help of the doctor who handled the high risk preg with thank you (my age and other medical things including the way my migraines reacted to that pregnancy made it high risk, and then I had heart problems about 4 mos in that were related to being pregnant) said that some research was showing that the very low dose birth control was actually working like a fertility drug for some women who had wacky hormone levels like me. It gave enough of a consistent boost, even when taken with the week of no hormones that the triphasil had at that time), to make you ovulate regularly and get pregnant. He only knew because he knew a researcher working on a drug study on triphasil and had talked Occupational Therapist (OT) him at a conference. I do not know if this is commonly known, but this doctor was amazing and truly on top of his game. He was one of the best ob/gyn docs I have known and both of them truly respect women and know that men could NEVER handle any of what we do.
PCOS can make it hard to get preg, but I know lots of moms with PCOS who have kids. She needs to get checked ASAP because damage could be fixable if she finds it early. If nothing else, maybe the health dept could help. Here at least to a certain income level that is pretty generous, the state will give women health care for the pill and basic gyn exams. You apply through the Dept of Health and Human Services rather than the county health dept. But the county also has a program that will help and so does the free clinic. So she may need to call around but she can get a basic exam and some guidelines on what might help if she looks around and makes some calls/fills out some forms.