Prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in women of reproductive age in Nicaragua, 2023

Abstract

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common hormonal disorder that affects women of reproductive age. Objective: To determine the prevalence of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in patients treated at the Medical Clinic of the American University in October - November 2023. Materials and methods: Observational, descriptive, prevalence study. The population consisted of 56 women. The study was conducted at the medical clinic of the American University in Nicaragua. Information was obtained from primary sources, a survey was conducted, pelvic ultrasound and fasting blood glucose test were performed. For qualitative variables, frequency and percentage were calculated; for quantitative variables, various summary measures were calculated (mean, mode, median, and standard deviation). Results: The majority of patients were in the age group of 20 to 25 years, with 57.1%. Menarche had a mean age of 12.1 years. Regarding clinical manifestations, 46.43% had a regular menstrual cycle, 7.1% experienced amenorrhea, 32.1% presented with hirsutism, 48.2% had acne, and 23.2% showed androgenic alopecia. Evidence of polycystic ovary syndrome was observed in 41.1% through pelvic ultrasound. 30.4% of the study population was diagnosed with PCOS according to clinical criteria and the ultrasound finding of ovarian polycystic ovary syndrome. Discussion: A prevalence of 30.4% was obtained, noting that this is a higher percentage than expected based on internationally managed figures of 8-13%. However, it has been established that up to 70% of cases are not diagnosed globally and there is a tendency for it to affect more Hispanic women.