Background
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common gynecological
endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. Despite its heavy burden on female
reproduction and general health, there is no study regarding PCOS prevalence in
Palestine. This study aims to establish prevalence of PCOS among female
university students at An-Najah National University-Palestine and to explore
its possible risk factors.
Methods
A cross sectional study was conducted on 137 female students using
convenience sampling method for age group (18–24) years. PCOS cases were
identified according to the National Institute of health (NIH) criteria through
clinical interview and assessment for participants at the University clinics.
Menstrual irregularities regarding cycle and flow were identified and clinical
hyperandrogenism was assessed as the self-reported degree of hirsutism using
the modified Ferriman Gallwey (mF-G) scoring method of more than 8 score.
Biochemical hyperandrogenism for girls with menstrual irregularities was
assessed by measuring free testosterone level. Data were analyzed using SPSS
version 17 applying descriptive methods; different risk factor relationships
were estimated using bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression.
Results :
The estimated prevalence of PCOS was 7.3% , acne was the only studied
risk factor among others to be statistically significantly related to PCOS
patients (OR=8.430, P-value=0.015). Clinical Hirsutism
was found in 27% of participants, 70% of whom had idiopathic hirsutism.
Conclusions
Prevalence of PCOS in Palestine seems to be relatively high but similar
to other Mediterranean statistics. We recommend further studies using wider age
group and larger sample for all parts of Palestine in order to generalize
results.
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Epidemiology_of_Polycystic_Ovary_Syndrome_A_Cross_Sectional_Study_of_University_Students_at_An-Najah_National_University-Palestine.pdf | 173.99 KB |