• Quality of Life in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A literature review
  • Fatemeh Bahadori ,1,* Shahideh Jahanian Sadatmahalleh 1,2 Mahsa Yarjanli,3
    1.
    2. Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran
    3. DeparDepartment of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehrantment of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran


  • Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism and chronic anovulation. PCOS is one of the leading causes of infertility and manifests with acne, hirsutism, and obesity PCOS has been shown to cause a reduction in quality of life. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of polycystic ovary syndrome on quality of life.
  • Methods: Searching performed in some databases like PubMed, google scholar, Proquest, Scopus, Springer and Science Direct. 21 full text articles in English from 2000 until 2019 were found which their topic was similar to our topic. Main outcome measures were Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), concerning socio-demographic conditions (age, marital status, education, occupational activity, type of work, profession, physical activity) and clinical information of PCOS. Major clinical PCOS features including excessive body hair (hirsutism score), acne, and menstrual cycle disturbances.
  • Results: Quality of life parameters for women with polycystic ovary syndrome were lower than for the controls in the aspect of: general health, limitations due to physical health, limitations due to emotional problems, social functioning, energy/fatigue and emotional wellbeing. Moderate and severe hirsutism negatively correlated with some quality of life parameters in the study group: general health, limitations due to emotional problems, social functioning, and emotional well-being. Moreover, a negative association was found between Quality of life and menstrual disturbance
  • Conclusion: Polycystic ovary syndrome decreases quality of life with respect to: general health, limitations due to physical health and emotional problems, social functioning, energy/fatigue, as well as in the emotional and psychological sphere among women. A negative effect of hirsutism severity on quality of life. Awareness and knowledge of healthcare professionals regarding the quality of life in women should be increased.
  • Keywords: Key words: Quality of life, Polycystic ovary syndrome, SF-36