Emotional distress is a common risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 studies

Female infertility, infertility-associated diagnoses, and comorbidities: a review

“…Many studies evaluating mental health are limited by the fact that psychiatric disorders may be underdiagnosed or treated in an outpatient setting and therefore excluded from evaluation when hospital admissions are used as inclusion criteria [5]. Based on the studies included, a majority of patients with subsequent mental health challenges appear to have a diagnosis of PCOS [1][2][3][4]6]. The relationship between PCOS and mental health is not yet clear but may be independent of a strict diagnosis of infertility.…”

“…See key findings in Table 1. Universally, authors concluded that women with a history of infertility or an infertility-related diagnosis, specifically PCOS, were at increased risk to develop mental health disorders [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Four out of the six studies that found correlations with mental health issues used women with PCOS as their primary population [2][3][4]6].…”

“…Depression risk was found to be elevated in four out of the six studies based on scores from validated scales such as the Edinburgh Depression Scale [1][2][3]6]. Five of the six studies noted significant increases in diagnoses of anxiety or psychosocial distress in the specific study populations [1][2][3][4]6].…”

“…Results Female infertility and related reproductive disorders may have ramifications for women beyond reproductive health. An analysis of publications shows that women with infertility had higher rates of psychiatric disorders and endometrial cancer than the general population [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Data is conflicting about whether infertile women are at increased risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer [7,8,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

Understanding and supporting women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a qualitative study in an ethnically diverse UK sample

“…It can have important consequences in relation to both physical and mental health (2,3,4) and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, as well as contributing to overall poor wellbeing (5,6,7). Previous studies have highlighted challenges faced when managing PCOS (5,8,9,10,11) including feeling 'abnormal' or like a 'freak' (12). Lack of information given to women diagnosed with PCOS may also create confusion about why they are experiencing symptoms, leading to feelings of guilt and lack of control (4,12,13).…”