Prevalence of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome among school going adolescents

Abstract

Background:PCOS is a hormonal disorder affecting women of the reproductive age group.Though it was stated that 2.2-26.7% of women are affected by this disorder, still PCOS is left undiagnosed or diagnosed only at advanced stages. Hence the current study was done to assess the prevalence of PCOS in school-going adolescents at the earlier stage thereby aiding in earlier diagnosis and treatment.

Method: A descriptivecross-sectional survey method was adopted. Purposive sampling was used. 50 girls studying grade elevenaged between 16-17 years from a selected school inPerambalur district, Tamilnadu tookpart in the survey.A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data pertaining to demographic variables, personal variables, menstruation-related variables, and obesity-related variables. Prevalence was assessed using a prevalidated clinical tool for diagnosis of PCOS.

Results: The prevalence of PCOS among adolescent girls was 14%.

Conclusion: PCOS is an emerging disorder about which very less is known in the community. Screening and diagnosing this disorder at the early stages can help adolescent girls in promoting good health and prevent health risks in the future.