Objective: To determine the frequency of impaired Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) results in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) attending a tertiary-care gynaecology outpatient clinic.
Study design: A cross-sectional observational study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, MTI-Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan, from June to December 2024.
Methodology: Consecutive women aged 18-45 years who met the Rotterdam criteria for PCOS were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included known diabetes mellitus, pregnancy, and use of medications affecting glucose metabolism, except for metformin. A standard 75-g OGTT was performed after an overnight fast (≥8 hours). Fasting and 2-hour plasma glucose levels were categorised using American Diabetes Association definitions. Demographic, clinical, and lifestyle variables were recorded. Associations between OGTT categories and categorical variables were tested using the chi-square test (α = 0.05).
Results: A total of 360 participants were analysed (mean age: 30.44 ± 6.14 years; mean BMI: 28.30 ± 5.27 kg/m2). Normal glucose tolerance occurred in 50.0% (n = 180) participants, impaired glucose tolerance in 37.5% (n = 135), and diabetes in 12.5% (n = 45). No statistically significant associations were observed between OGTT category and menstrual regularity, family history of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, physical activity, dietary pattern, insulin resistance, medication use, or smoking status (all p >0.05).
Conclusion: Dysglycaemia is common in women with PCOS in outpatient care. Routine OGTT-based screening should be integrated into clinical assessment to enable early identification and management of metabolic risk.
Key words: Polycystic ovary syndrome, Oral glucose tolerance test, Impaired glucose tolerance, Diabetes mellitus, Screening.