Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in Aging Women: An Observational Study

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in aging women has not been extensively studied, although it is a very common disorder. Most of the research has been conducted on women of the reproductive age group, although PCOS is a disease occurring in all age groups. This study aims to provide an idea of the PCOS pattern prevalent in aging women presenting at a tertiary care center in Eastern India.

This was a prospective, single-center, observational cohort study conducted over three years, from October 2016 to September 2019. A total of 36 patients between 35 and 65 years of age were found to have PCOS according to Rotterdam's criteria during this period. These patients were prospectively followed up to study their demographic characteristics, symptoms, management, and outcomes.

A total of 80% of the women were below 40 years of age, while only 20% were above 40. In total, 70% of the women were overweight or obese. Infertility was seen in 75% of patients below 40 years of age and 28% of patients above 40. Among these, 23 (95%) conceived successfully after proper management. The main presenting complaints were infertility and menstrual irregularities. With aging, diabetes increased from 24%, in below 40, to 28%, in above 40; hypertension increased from 13% to 28%. The occurrence of impaired oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and impaired lipid profile increased with age: from 48% to 57% and 13% to 28%, respectively.

PCOS in aging women causes considerable morbidity and greatly affects the quality of life, although it is less understood. Further research in this field is very much needed to understand and appropriately manage the problems in aging women, to improve their quality of life.