Do anxiety and depression statuses differ in differentpolycystic ovary syndrome phenotypes?

Background/aim: To evaluate psychological parameters and health quality profiles in women with reproductive polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotypes and age matched controls.

Materials And Methods: The study groups included 101 women with PCOS (54 with the National Institutes of Health [NIH] phenotype and 47 with the non-NIH phenotype) and 49 healthy female controls. The participants completed anxiety and depression scales and four quality of life domains.

Results: We identified the women with PCOS as having a 3.39 times increased risk for depression (subscale ≥ 7) and a 3.64 times increased risk for anxiety (subscale ≥ 10) compared to the controls. Both NIH and non-NIH phenotypes showed similar rates of depression (46.3% vs. 46.8%, respectively; P = 0.57) and anxiety (31.5% vs. 36.2%, respectively; P = 0.47). Regarding the quality of life scale, the women with NIH PCOS had significantly lower mental health scores compared to those with non-NIH PCOS (P = 0.03). Furthermore, while mental health scores were similar in the women with PCOS and the controls, physical health scores were significantly lower in the women with PCOS (P = 0.007).

Conclusion: Nearly half of the women with PCOS had higher depression scores and one third had higher anxiety scores. Thus, psychiatric evaluations appear necessary for PCOS patients in order to diagnose and treat clinical depression and anxiety.