What’s thought to be the most common women’s endocrine disorder in the world has a “significantly higher than expected” disease burden in Australia, new research has revealed.
Published on Wednesday in Frontiers in Reproductive Health, the peer-reviewed study found that the global burden of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a complex hormonal condition that can mimic other conditions and increase the risk of reduced fertility – grew by 28 per cent from 1990 to 2021. Predictive models suggest that will increase in the next two decades if no action is taken.
Often confused as a gynaecological condition due to its name, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder.Credit: iStockphoto
Much about PCOS and its broad spectrum of symptoms, which include mood swings, weight gain, irregular or absent periods and more, is a mystery to many health professionals.
Treatment is largely based on lifestyle adjustments, cosmetic therapies, and medications including hormonal contraception, insulin sensitisers (metformin), or GLP-1 receptor agonists (Ozempic, Wegovy). There is no cure.
What there is no question about is that PCOS is misunderstood, underdetected and misdiagnosed.
Using data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s 2021 Global Burden of Disease study, this research is the first comprehensive evaluation and analysis of PCOS’ current global impact.
Its authors say its findings show PCOS is an “emerging global public health priority requiring urgent policy attention.”
“Despite its substantial disease burden, PCOS remains disproportionately underfunded relative to other reproductive disorders such as endometriosis,” authors Weiwei Zeng, Dali Gan, Juanfeng Ou and Brian Tomlinson said.
In Australia’s National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-2030, PCOS is mentioned three times, while endometriosis is mentioned 18 times. Labor pledged $573 million to women’s health ahead of the 2025 federal election, but it largely focused on menopause, endometriosis and pelvic pain, IVF and contraception.
While increased awareness of PCOS and its evolving diagnostic criteria may be a primary driver for PCOS’ amplified incidence and prevalence, this study found genetic factors may also contribute to PCOS’ escalating global burden.
Of the 204 countries and territories examined, Italy consistently exhibited the highest rates of new and existing PCOS cases, followed by Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia.
Several southeast European countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia, demonstrated the lowest incidence and prevalence rates.
Zeng, Gan, Ou and Tomlinson found new PCOS cases peaked in women and girls aged 10 to 19 years old, while reproductive-aged women, from 20 to 35 years old, bear the highest caseload.
In addition to early screening protocols and robust public health education initiatives, the authors are calling for research investment into cost-efficient interventions and real-time monitoring systems among other critical gaps.
They say coordinated government action is necessary to “develop multisectoral health policies that empower affected women and families, thereby mitigating PCOS progression, improving gynaecological health outcomes, and advancing reproductive health equity”.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
