Frequency of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in Women Presenting with Infertility

Hanifa; Maryam Shoaib; Merman Achakzai; Urooj Munir; Maleeha Khan; Malali Sanam; Samina Naeem

doi:10.70749/ijbr.v3i2.2476

Authors

Hanifa Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
Maryam Shoaib Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
Merman Achakzai Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
Urooj Munir Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
Maleeha Khan Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Bolan Medical College Hospital, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
Malali Sanam Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.
Samina Naeem Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Bolan Medical College Hospital, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70749/ijbr.v3i2.2476

Keywords:

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Infertility, Prevalence, Risk Factors, Pakistan.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) among women presenting with infertility in. Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, Methodology: This six-month cross-sectional study was carried out in the obstetrics and gynecology department of Sandeman Provincial Hospital in Quetta. Through successive sampling, 186 women between the ages of 18 and 49 who were presenting with infertility were included. Age, place of residence, education, BMI, length of marriage, and type of infertility were among the baseline clinical and demographic data recorded. Using conventional operating criteria, PCOS was diagnosed. SPSS version 24 was used to examine the data, stratifying the data for any effect modifiers. Following stratification, either Fisher's exact test or chi-square test was used, with p < 0.05 being significant. Results: Among women who were infertile, 49.5% had PCOS. Age (p = 1.000), residency (p = 0.234), BMI (p = 0.557), length of marriage (p = 0.468), and type of infertility (p = 0.771) did not significantly correlate with any of these factors. There was a marginal correlation between education and p = 0.054. Conclusion: PCOS was found to be a major cause of infertility in our study, affecting over half of the infertile women. Most clinical and demographic characteristics did not significantly correlate, but there seems to be a correlation between higher prevalence and lower educational attainment. To lessen the burden of infertility caused by PCOS, these findings emphasize the necessity of early screening, lifestyle changes, and patient education.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Stepto, N. K., Cassar, S., Joham, A. E., Hutchison, S. K., Harrison, C. L., Goldstein, R. F., & Teede, H. J. (2013). Women with polycystic ovary syndrome have intrinsic insulin resistance on euglycaemic-hyperinsulaemic clamp. Human Reproduction, 28(3), 777-784.

https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/des463

2. Vink, J. M., Sadrzadeh, S., Lambalk, C. B., & Boomsma, D. I. (2006). Heritability of polycystic ovary syndrome in a Dutch twin-family study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 91(6), 2100-2104.

https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2005-1494

3. Azziz, R., Marin, C., Hoq, L., Badamgarav, E., & Song, P. (2005). Health care-related economic burden of the polycystic ovary syndrome during the reproductive life span. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 90(8), 4650-4658.

https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2005-0628

4. Baillargeon, J., Jakubowicz, D. J., Iuorno, M. J., Jakubowicz, S., & Nestler, J. E. (2004). Effects of metformin and rosiglitazone, alone and in combination, in nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome and normal indices of insulin sensitivity. Fertility and Sterility, 82(4), 893-902.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2004.02.127

5. Teede, H. J., Misso, M. L., Costello, M. F., Dokras, A., Laven, J., Moran, L., Piltonen, T., & Norman, R. J. (2018). Recommendations from the international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Human Reproduction, 34(2), 388-388.

https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dey363

6. Sirmans, S., & Pate, K. (2013). Epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Clinical Epidemiology, 1.

https://doi.org/10.2147/clep.s37559

7. Sagle, M., Bishop, K., Ridley, N., Alexander, F. M., Michel, M., Bonney, R. C., Beard, R. W., & Franks, S. (1988). Recurrent early miscarriage and polycystic ovaries. BMJ, 297(6655), 1027-1028.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.297.6655.1027

8. Shen, H., Qiu, L., Zhang, Z., Qin, Y., Cao, C., & Di, W. (2013). Genome-wide methylated DNA Immunoprecipitation analysis of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. PLoS ONE, 8(5), e64801.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064801

9. Jones, G. L., Hall, J. M., Lashen, H. L., Balen, A. H., & Ledger, W. L. (2011). Health‐related quality of life among adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 40(5), 577-588.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1552-6909.2011.01279.x

10. Azziz, R., Carmina, E., Dewailly, D., Diamanti-Kandarakis, E., Escobar-Morreale, H. F., Futterweit, W., Janssen, O. E., Legro, R. S., Norman, R. J., Taylor, A. E., & Witchel, S. F. (2006). Criteria for defining polycystic ovary syndrome as a predominantly Hyperandrogenic syndrome: An androgen excess society guideline. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 91(11), 4237-4245.

https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2006-0178

11. Shaheen, R., Subhan, F., Sultan, S., Subhan, K., & Tahir, F. (2010). Prevalence of infertility in a cross section of Pakistani population. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 42(4).

https://zsp.com.pk/pdf/389-393%20(6).pdf

12. Adams, J., Polson, D. W., & Franks, S. (1986). Prevalence of polycystic ovaries in women with anovulation and idiopathic hirsutism. BMJ, 293(6543), 355-359.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.293.6543.355

13. Haq, F., & Rizvi, J. (2008). Infertility and polycystic ovarian syndrome: A study of association between body mass index and Intrafamily marriages. Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation, 65(4), 269-274.

https://doi.org/10.1159/000113309

14. Kousta, E., White, D., Cela, E., McCarthy, M., & Franks, S. (1999). The prevalence of polycystic ovaries in women with infertility. Human Reproduction, 14(11), 2720-2723.

https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/14.11.2720

15. Vickers, N. J. (2017). Animal communication: When I’m calling you, will you answer too? Current Biology, 27(14), R713-R715.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.064

16. AFZAL, M., FAROOQ, S, M, Y., GILANI, S, A., FAROOQ, F., WARIS, M, & ARSHAD, U. et al. (2021). Frequency of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in Infertile Women. PJMHS, 15(2).

https://pjmhsonline.com/published-issues/2021/feb/212309

17. Arain, F., Arif, N., & Halepota, H. (2015). Frequency and outcome of treatment in polycystic ovaries related infertility. Pakistan journal of medical sciences, 31(3), 694.

https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.313.8003

18. Salari, N., Nankali, A., Ghanbari, A., Jafarpour, S., Ghasemi, H., Dokaneheifard, S., & Mohammadi, M. (2024). Global prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in women worldwide: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 310(3), 1303-1314.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-024-07607-x

19. Deswal, R., Narwal, V., Dang, A., & Pundir, C. S. (2020). The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome: a brief systematic review. Journal of human reproductive sciences, 13(4), 261-271.

https://doi.org/10.4103/jhrs.JHRS_95_18

20. Meng, Y., Zhao, T., Zhang, R., Zhu, X., Ma, C., & Shi, Q. (2025). Global burden of polycystic ovary syndrome among women of childbearing age, 1990–2021: A systematic analysis using the global burden of disease study 2021. Frontiers in Public Health, 13.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1514250

21. Arain, F., Arif, N., & Halepota, H. (2015). Frequency and outcome of treatment in polycystic ovaries related infertility. Pakistan journal of medical sciences, 31(3), 694.

https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.313.8003

22. Azhar, A., Abid, F., & Rehman, R. (2020). Polycystic ovary syndrome, subfertility and vitamin D deficiency. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan: JCPSP, 30(5), 545.

https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_bbs/858/

23. Rana, A. A., Usmani, S. Y., Latif, S., Aziz, A., & Rafique, S. (2025). PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS OF POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME AMONG PAKISTANI WOMEN. Journal of Population Therapeutics and Clinical Pharmacology, 32(6), 1043-1049.

https://jptcp.com/index.php/jptcp/article/view/10870

24. Alam, Z., Abdalla, M. A., Alseiari, S., Alameemi, M., Alzaabi, M., Alkhoori, R., Östlundh, L., & Al-Rifai, R. H. (2023). Polycystic ovarian syndrome among women diagnosed with infertility in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence studies. Women's Health, 19.

https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057231160940

25. Akhter, A., Mushtaq, R., Karim, A., KHWAJA, S., & Akram, A. (2018). RELATIONSHIP OF INFERTILITY WITH WEIGHT AND POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME (PCOS) IN SPECIFIC FEMALE POPULATION OF KARACHI, PAKISTAN. FUUAST Journal of Biology, 8(2), 293-297.

26. Rahim, R., Urooj, H., & Gul, H. (2024). Frequency of Phenotypes and their Clinical and Hormonal Characteristics of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan: JCPSP, 34(9), 1107-1111.

https://doi.org/10.29271/jcpsp.2024.09.1107

27. Zafar, U., Sani, A. I., Malik, H. A., Faraz, A., Rizwan, R., & Muneer, M. (2021). Altered thyroid function amongst the infertile insulin resistant women with polycystic ovarian syndrome. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International, 73-80.

https://doi.org/10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i34a31825

28. Memon, S., Khatoon, F., Abro, K. J., & Lakahn, H. (2023). Prevalence of infertility among young women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Annals of Punjab Medical College, 17(4), 522-525.

https://doi.org/10.29054//2023.1231

29. Ishfaq, W., & Mushtaq, R. (2024). Mental health and resilience among Pakistani women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome. Pakistan Journal of Physiology, 20(1), 45-47.

https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v20i1.1608