Measures of health-related quality of life in PCOS women: a systematic review

Abstract

IntroductionPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with biochemical and hormonal disturbance and adverse cosmetic, reproductive, metabolic, and psychological consequences, resulting in reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Various generic and specific questionnaires have been used for assessing different dimensions of HRQoL in PCOS women. The purpose of this systematic review was to identify those general and specific instruments and to determine the factors that affect HRQoL in PCOS women.Materials and methodsThe research strategy involved general and specific terms in relation to PCOS women and their QoL. A review was performed on studies that were published between 1945 to 2017 and that were indexed in MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus. A narrative synthesis of the data was provided.ResultsIn total, 52 studies (9 qualitative and 43 quantitative) were included in the review. The analysis indicated that 3 specific and 5 general instruments were used to measure the QoL in PCOS women. Of these, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (PCOSQ) were used most frequently. All studies assessed different aspects of QoL in PCOS women and found that PCOS had negative effects on QoL in this population.ConclusionThe PCOSQ and the SF-36 were used most frequently for the assessment of QoL in PCOS women. Perhaps using either a specific questionnaire solely or a specific questionnaire in conjunction with a generic measure would be more appropriate when measuring QoL in PCOS women. However, both questionnaires showed that they are able to capture different aspects of QoL in PCOS women and to identify areas that can help to improve QoL in these women.

Health-related quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome attending to a tertiary hospital in Southeastern Spain: a case-control study

“…According to our results, these suggested interventions might also be appropriate when it comes to phenotypic subtypes -mainly anovulatory women-but the current evidence is, to our knowledge, very limited and further interventional research regarding improvement of HRQoL in PCOS phenotypes is warranted. The Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Questionnaire (PCOSQ) [23] and SF-36 are the most frequently instruments used for the assessment of HRQoL in PCOS women [9]. However, PCOSQ has not been validated in Spanish and is a specific questionnaire for PCOS which was not considered appropriate for a case-control study.…”

Grip Strength: A Useful Marker for Composite Hepatic Events in Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases

“…The study subjects were asked to complete the Japanese version of the SF36, a globally accepted assessment tool for patient QOL [41,42]. The SF36 consists of a total of 36 items classified into eight item scales: physical functioning (PF), role physical (RP), bodily pain (BP), general health perception (GH), vitality (VT), social functioning (SF), role emotion (RE), and mental health (MH) [43].…”

Clinicians’ Perceptions of Norwegian Women’s Experiences of Infertility Diseases

“…Although some articles have analyzed each disease individually and pointed out their consequences for women, as far as we were able to survey, no scientific research has previously studied together the three types of infertility discussed with the doctors (PCOS, endometriosis and vulvodynia) and their consequences for women's daily life. Our investigation evidenced that those who suffer from PCOS have poor quality of life, due to physical and psychological problems associated with this disease, namely obesity, hirsutism, anxiety and depression [52]. Those who suffer from endometriosis have psychological problems such as anxiety, stress and depression, implying the loosing of working abilities and less social activities [53].…”