Endocrine Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive problem in women of childbearing age attending an endocrine clinic with a reported prevalence of between 4-8 %. The classical symptoms result from excess ovarian androgen production and chronic anovulation. Ovarian ultrasound shows more than 10 follicles, 2-10mm in diameter. A common presentation in the clinic can be menstrual dysfunction but the most characteristic feature of the syndrome is the hirsutism which varies in severity and site. Hair growth on the face and chin can be quite extensive as can excessive hair loss on the head and frontal balding and acne all due to androgen excess. Obesity has also been reported in about half of PCOS patients. It is characterised by an increase in waist- to-hip ratio or android appearance as opposed to truncal obesity with an incidence of 7.5% of type 2 diabetes. It is well established that PCOS women suffer from impaired emotional well being and have a marked reduction in the quality of their life, as well as anxiety and depression. The role of physical appearance, obesity, and hirsutism have been well established as contributing to this reduced quality of life in studies done in USA but not to the same extent in the Middle East. The purpose of our study is to review the impact of PCOS on a cohort of young women attending an endocrine clinic in a tertiary referral teaching hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We enrolled 40 PCOS women in a cross-sectional survey between the ages of 19 and 40 years to determine the severity and prevalence of body dysmorphism in our PCOS patients. We used a questioner of 30 questions which enquired about BMI, hair distribution, acne, menstrual cycle, and patients’ perception of their bodies. Based on WHO classification of weight, 20% were of normal weight, 12.5 % overweight and 45% were obese. 66.6% had male pattern hair growth with 91.6 % having male pattern balding. 87.5% mentioned that their weight/body shape influenced in a negative way the way they saw themselves. Nevertheless 58.3 % felt that they were attractive. Finally, 90 % expressed the desire to lose weight, although they felt that minor weight gain did not influence how they saw themselves. In conclusion, the evidence in this study to date is that the main problem that influenced their perception of their body was their weight and not hirsutism.