Current Awareness Status of and Recommendations for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A National Cross-Sectional Investigation of Central Jordan

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive disorder that is related to a number of health issues and has an influence on a variety of metabolic processes. Despite its burden on the health of females, PCOS is significantly underdiagnosed, which is associated with lack of disease knowledge among females. Therefore, we aimed to gauge the awareness of PCOS in both the male and female population in Jordan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, targeting individuals over the age of 18 from Jordan's central region. Participants were recruited through stratified random sampling. The questionnaire consisted of two domains, including demographics and knowledge of PCOS domains. A total of 1532 respondents participated in this study. The findings revealed that participants have overall adequate knowledge regarding PCOS's risk factors, etiology, clinical presentation, and outcomes. However, participants demonstrated subpar familiarity of the association between PCOS and other comorbidities and the effect of genetics on PCOS. Women had more knowledge than men about PCOS (57.5 ± 6.06 vs. 54.1 ± 6.71, p = 0.019). In addition, older, employed, and higher-income populations showed significantly better knowledge than younger, unemployed, self-employed, and lower-income populations. In conclusion, we demonstrated that Jordanian women demonstrate an acceptable yet incomplete level of knowledge towards PCOS. We recommend establishing educational programs by specialists for the general population as well as medical personnel to spread accurate medical information and clarify common misconceptions about signs, symptoms, management, and treatment of PCOS, and nutritional knowledge.