Effects of Bariatric Surgery on People with Obesity and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Large Single Center Study from India.

Purpose: Bariatric surgery has been proven to be a successful management strategy for morbid obesity, but limited studies exist on its effect on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in terms of clinical, hormonal, and comorbidities.

Materials And Methods: This is a prospective observational study of 1013 PCOS patients who underwent bariatric surgery from a single high-volume center. Assessment of demographic data and menstrual irregularity as well as hirsutism and comorbidities was done preoperatively 6-month and yearly follow-up, whereas data regarding %TWL and %EWL was taken at follow-up visits conducted at regular intervals of 6 months, and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years following surgery.

Results: Out of 1013 PCOS patients, 993 patients had hirsutism before surgery, and 741 (74.6%; p < 0.001) had complete resolution of hirsutism at end of 6 months' follow-up. A total of 202 (20.3%) had moderate resolution at follow-up of 1 year, 5 patients had minimal resolution at end of 2 years, and 45 (4.5%) patients reported no change in their hirsutism at 4 and 5 years of follow-up. Among 1007 women with PCOS who had menstrual dysfunction, 936 (93% p < 0.0001) women restored their normal menstrual cycle at 6 months post-surgery with 55.4% EWL while remaining other 71 (7%) women reported regular menses at 2 years post-surgery at 74.2% EWL and continued to have normal menstrual pattern during the entire follow-up period. Similarly, all the associated comorbidities T2DM (79.7%), HTN (78.7%), DLP (93.2%), and OSA (98.5%) and symptoms of PCOS were statistically (p < 0.0001) and completely resolved at end years of follow-up.

Conclusion: Bariatric surgery is a good option for women with obesity and PCOS. It is effectively reducing weight along with PCOS and its disorder including hirsutism and menstrual irregularity in women with obesity and PCOS.