POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN Betsy Lopez

SYNDROME AMONG WOMEN PHSC 389 -

Dr. Jones
IN THE U.S.
 WHAT IS POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common womens health

problem caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. Problems
include metabolism and infertility that affects womens physical health
and appearance. (OWH, 2016)

According to the Central Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

PCOS is the most common cause of infertility affecting 6%-12%
(about 5 million) of women of reproductive age.
 PCOS SYMPTOMS

Symptoms include:
Irregular menstrual cycle
Acne
Weight gain
Excessive hair growth also know as, hirsutism
Infertility

The etiology of PCOS is unclear if it is hereditary or if environmental

factors plays a role
Certain factors are considered: insulin resistance and increased levels of
androgens
VIDEO - PCOS FERTILITY OVERVIEW

https://youtu.be/JC7AiQmAynE
ARTICLE OVERVIEW
PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE
 Greater risk of
PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT overall health
 PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

Behavioral health Physical health

Mental health Infertility

Depression Chronic disease
Anxiety Diabetes
Low self-efficacy Cardiovascular disease (CVD)
Lack or intensive exercise
 TREATMENT OPTIONS

Infertility
IVF
Birth control pills
Anti-androgen
Surgery
Chronic diseases
Metformin for insulin-resistant
Holistic approaches: Exercise and health diet
 CURRENT LITERATURE- RACIAL & ETHNIC
DISPARITIES
After reviewing various literature on specific demographics in women, it is
unclear of the prevalence rate in race and ethnicity, for developing health
implications of women with PCOS

Engmann et al.(2017) states Hispanic women is higher risk for the most
severe phenotype compared to non-Hispanic Black women

Kauffman et al.(2002) states Mexican American women with PCOS have

a higher prevalence of obesity compared to whites

But Chang et al. (2015) states race/ethnicity does not influence an

increase of cardiovascular risk factor for women with and without PCOS
 BARRIERS &
RECOMMENDATIONS
 BARRIERS THAT IMPEDE CHANGE

Policy
Insurance does not cover PCOS specifically
Medical insurance bias on infertility issues

Proper diagnosis
Practitioners
Gynecologists
Endocrinologists
Various criteria to diagnosis PCOS correctly
 POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

Promote awareness

Expand on treatment options

Nutrition management
Weight management
Behavioral health management and counseling

Allow funding for further research of PCOS

Bako et al. (2005) stressed other types of research should be conducted
 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Do you think this is just a womens health issue?

Do you believe PCOS is hereditary or does environmental factors play
a role?
Is there an unconventional solution you believe that can lead to
sustainable change?
Do you think this syndrome could be a major public health issue in
the future based on limited research?
 REFERENCES

B ak o, A. U., Morad, S ., & Ati om o, W. A. ( 2005). P ol yc ysti c ov ar y s yndrom e: An ove rv iew. Rev iews in
G ynaec ol ogi c al P rac ti ce, 5( 2), 115122 . ht tps://doi .org/1 0.10 16/j.r igp.2005 .04 .001
Chang, A. Y., O s hir o, J., Ayers , C. & Auc hus, R . J. ( 2016). Inf luenc e of rac e/ethni ci ty on c ardi ov asc ul ar
ri s k fac tors i n pol ycysti c ov ary syn drom e, the Dall as H eart S tudy. C li ni cal E ndocr i nol ogy, 85: 92 99.
doi : 10.1111/c en.12986
E ngm ann, L., J in , S., S un, F., Legr o, R. S ., P olots ky, A. J ., Hans en, K . R., W itter, F. (2017) . Rac ial
and ethni c di fferenc es i n the pol yc ys tic ov ary s yndr om e m etabol i c phenotype. Am eri c an Jou rnal of
O bstetr ic s a nd Gynec ol ogy. https ://doi .org/10.1016/j .aj og.2017.01.003
K auffm an, R. P., Ba ker, V. M., D iMari no, P., Gi m pel , T., & Ca stra cane, V. D. (20 02) . P olycys ti c O v ari an
S yndro m e and i nsul in resi s tance in whi te and Mexic an Am e ri can wom en: A c om par i son of two di sti nct
popul ations . Am er i can J ournal of O bst etr ic s and Gynec ol ogy, 187( 5), 136 21 369 .
https ://doi. or g/10.1067/m ob.20 02. 126 650
P CO S a nd Diabet es, He ar t Di seas e, S trok e. CD C. (2016) . Retr iev ed from
https ://www.cdc .gov /diabetes /l ibr ary/s potl ight s/pc os.htm l
P olycysti c O v ary S ynd rom e. O W H . (2016) R etri eved fr om
https ://www.wom ensheal th.gov /publi c ati ons /our -publ ic ati ons/fac t-s heet/pol yc ys tic -ov ary-s yndrom e.htm l