A Study to Assess the Prevalence of Depression among Women Suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Aim: Women with PCOS have menstrual irregularities associated with unwanted facial hair growth, acne, weight gain, infertility which are distressing to them and reduce their quality of life. Women with PCOS having such symptoms have a strong predilection for mental health issues like depression, anxiety and other psychiatric comorbidities. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of depression among women suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Methodology: The present cross-sectional questionnaire-based study recruited 40 patients diagnosed with PCOS from department of Obstetrics& Gynaecology, Tertiary care Hospital. Presence of distress was assessed using cut-off scores on General Health Questionnaire (GHQ- 12). Binary logistic regression analysis was used to find the independent predictors of having psychological distress as per GHQ-12. Depressive symptoms were assessed using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) among patients who were found to be distressed as per GHQ-12. Result: As per GHQ-12 cut-off psychological distress is seen in 60 % of the study population out of which 42.5 % had mild depression while 17.5 % had moderate depression based on the Hamilton Rating Scale for depression. Discussion: The present study suggests that prevalence and risk of depression is significantly high in women with PCOS. Some of the factors that positively correlated with the presence of depression include being married, infertility, self -perception of attractiveness and family history of depression. Conclusion: The clinical implication of this study is that clinicians treating women with PCOS should be aware that these women are at a high risk group for depression.