your 'no suction' condition is probably an early sign, but I wouldn't throw the panic switch just yet.

Early winter can be a bad time for these PCV systems as I found out last year. Something about the colder temperatures really exacerbates any problems in there. If you live somewhere that gets cold in the winter it's best to get any PCV probs out of the way before the cold comes. Unless you like dealing with chasing oil leaks and tearing the intake manifold off when it's freezing cold outside. I went through this last winter... at around the same mileage you have on your car (~190k miles == 305k km) though I had just purchased my car and have no idea how it was treated before I got it - you have a good history of synthetic oil which might help you last a little longer.
http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/volvo/1356259/850/weird_oil_leak.html


That said, have a look for 'smoke' coming out of the oil dipstick. In my mind, that would be a better indicator that you've got to do the work right away.

You want to get this done before it starts pushing oil out the engine seals anc causing real problems, but many of them seem to go a fair number of miles with early signs before starting to cause problems like that.

Klaus has mentioned a few times on here that AutoRx might be able to help this situation and buy you some more time. Eventually I think the PCV systems will need to be replaced on all these cars, synthetic oil or not.

It's also a great opportunity to change all the vacuum lines, clean the throttle body, and replace the seals on the oil dipstick and tube, while you've got everything apart. Not to mention the easy access to the starter and back of the alternator, AC compressor, trans oil lines rad hoses. Any maintenance on these items can be bundled into the job as well. Although you should be warned you're looking at a pretty long day for just the PCV system.