Psychological Well-Being in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder, which is associated with psychological distress and a poor quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to compare the psychological well-being between women with PCOS and controls, as well as to evaluate factors associated with psychological distress.It was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytic study, conducted in the outpatient Endocrinology department of Hedi Chaker University Hospital of Sfax, Tunisia, among 30 women with PCOS, and 30 healthy controls. We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36).QoL of women with PCOS was significantly impaired compared with controls (p<0.001), with significant differences in 4 domains. Among our patients, 53.3% had a certain anxiety state (controls 26.7%; p=0.035), and 30% had a certain depression state (controls 6.7%; p=0.042).Our study showed that psychological function is impaired in women with PCOS. Thus, clinicians should pay attention to the psychosocial dimension of this affection within a multi-disciplinary approach, in order to improve womens life satisfaction.