P02-396 - The prevalence of depression and poor quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was defined by the presence of menstrual dysfunction, together with clinical and/or biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism, and exclusion of other etiologies. Depression and poor quality of life (QoL) is a prominent characteristic of women who have polycystic ovary syndrome. Part of the depression stems from the emotional difficulty of being infertile, overweight, hirsutism, acne, hair loss or some other disturbing symptom. The polycystic ovary syndrome health-related QoL questionnaire (PCOSQ) of Cronin is the only specific measure for assessing health-related QoL in PCOS. It comprises 26 items and includes five domains: emotional, body hair, infertility, weight, and menstrual problems. This questionnaire is designed for women with PCOS. The Zung self-rating depression scale was used to assess depressive symptomatology. It contains 20 items: index scores below 50 reflect no depression, 50-59 reflect mild depression, 60-69 reflect marked to moderate depression and scores of 70 or greater reflect severe to extreme depression. 64 women with PCOS were recruited for this study. Results of Zung scale were compared with measurements in 44 women without PCOS. Women with PCOS had lower QoL on all factors of the QoL questionnaire. The prevalence of depression in women with PCOS was 35.93% (23 women, 18 women present mid depression and 5 women moderate or severe depression) and in women without PCOS was 9.09% (4 women wirh mild depression). PCOS is associated with depression and reduced QoL. Women with PCOS should be routinely screened and adequately treated for depression.