Prevalence of Infertility among Young Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of infertility among young women trying to conceive. Most of the times due to lack of awareness, women remain undiagnosed and unable to seek treatment at young age when the success rates of conceiving are higher. Objective: To determine the true prevalence of infertile young women diagnosed with PCOS. Study Design: Prospective study. Settings: Department of Gynecology and obstetrics, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College, Sukkur Pakistan. Duration: July 2022 to June, 2023. Methods: All young women (18 years – 35 years) diagnosed as PCOS, and failure to conceive for more than 1 year were included for this study. Data were collected regarding baseline and clinical characteristics. Outcome variable was presence or absence of infertility among young women with PCOS. Results: Final analysis was performed on 124 young women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. The mean age and standard deviation was 27.84 ± 4.21 years and BMI was 25.14 ± 6.33 kg/m2. More than 80% of women were housewives (n = 101) and had lower socioeconomic background, 60.48% (n = 75). The prevalence of infertility was 62.90% (n = 78) and 37.09% (n = 46) did not have infertility. Infertility was more common among young women with higher mean age (26.34 ± 2.67 years), higher BMI (26.34 ± 2.67 kg/m2), and women addicted to chewable tobacco, p value <0.05. Conclusion: Higher infertility rate is observed among young women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Fertility rate can be increased among such women by providing awareness regarding the disease and treatment plan.