Assessment the health-related quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common disorder in the endocrine system. Hyperandrogenism, hyperinsulinemia, chronic ovulation, and infertility are important Complications of PCOS. Health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) has a significant reduction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This reduction can be due to many disorders including: menstrual and sleep disorders, hirsutism, marital issues, infertility, and emotional/psychosocial problems. The purpose of current study was to investigate the role of sleeping and other environmental factors affecting the quality of life in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. 

This case/control study was conducted in 2017 in two groups: control and study (PCOS). The inclusion criteria were women aged 20-40 with a body mass index (BMI)<28. Exclusion criteria included no disease and no medication for all women. The participants were 180 women who were referred to the infertility center of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran. Four questionnaires including Demographics (40 questions), sleep quality (PSQI) (19 items 0-3), quality of life (GHQ) (28 items) and psychometric (DASS-42) with their consent form were filled out. Student’s t-test and Chi-square were used to compare the variables between two groups and the Pearson correlation coefficient to examine the relationship between lifestyle dimensions.

The mean weight and BMI (P=0.002), hirsutism and irregular menstruation cycle in the study group were greater than the control (P<0.001). In the study group the mean score of the sleep questionnaire in three dimensions: sleep problems (P=0.024), drug use (P=0.048), and the sufficiency of sleep (P=0.049) were higher than control.Regression analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between quality of life and menstruation cycle (P=0.046), as well as the three dimensions of negative affecting situations with family income (respectively, 0.015, 0.016 and P=0.035).

The environmental factors can easily affect the quality of life in PCO women. Sleep patterns were not favorable, and the effect of menstruation on mood and low family income caused negative emotions in women with PCOS.