Depression and anxiety in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a literature survey

Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2021 Aug 23;33(6):367-373. doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2021-0092.

Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age. Some of the indications and symptoms of PCOS include amenorrhoea, hirsutism, infertility, obesity, acne vulgaris and androgenic alopecia. PCOS is a crippling condition that affects a woman's identity, mental health and overall quality of life (QOL). In persons with PCOS, anxiety and sadness are assumed to be multifactorial. According to some specialists, physical symptoms like acne, hirsutism and obesity have been linked to psychiatric morbidities. Many aspects of it remain unknown, including its cause, progression throughout life, symptom spectrum and level of morbidity. PCOS is a complex disease that has an impact on many aspects of a person's health, including their mental health. Anxiety and depression are three times as common in PCOS patients as in non-PCOS people. Anxiety and depression symptoms are also more common and more intense in those with PCOS. There isn't enough research on the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with PCOS. It's unclear what causes persons with PCOS to be more anxious and depressed. It could be the result of PCOS symptoms, hormonal changes, or a combination of factors that are currently unclear. Our review article will help to highlight the most recent research on anxiety and depression in PCOS women.

Keywords: anxiety; depression; hirsutism; polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety / epidemiology
  • Anxiety / etiology
  • Depression / epidemiology
  • Depression / etiology
  • Female
  • Hirsutism / epidemiology
  • Hirsutism / etiology
  • Humans
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome* / complications
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome* / epidemiology
  • Quality of Life