Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder affecting all age groups and presenting with myriad problems like menstrual irregularities, hirsutism, anovulatory infertility, and long-term complications like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, etc.

Study was aimed at finding the prevalence, characteristics, and various risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS) in reproductive age group in our hospital.

Using statistical table, a sample size of 131 was calculated and patients were recruited as per inclusion criteria. Polycystic ovarian syndrome was diagnosed by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)/European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) criteria. After informed consent, a detailed history was obtained and physical examination was carried out to assess, body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist—hip ratio (WHR), and blood pressure (BP). Fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were measured for each woman

Prevalence of MS in our study was 45.8%; 26.7% of patients had a combination of increased waist circumference, raised triglycerides, and low HDL; 55.2% of patients had a fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels more than 100 mg%. Age of the patient was a statistically significant risk factor of MS with 100% of patients in the age group of 35 to 39 presenting with MC. Body mass index was also a statistically significant risk factor with 82.6% with BMI > 30 having MC. Other important risk factors include a WHR more than 0.95, presence of diabetes in mother or sister, and presence of acanthosis; 71% of patients with WHR more than 0.95 had MC. Age of menarche, duration of menstrual cycles, and hirsutism showed no significant relationship.

An outstanding fact that emerged in this study was that 94% of women with PCOS had HDL values <50 mg/dL. And 58% had triglycerides more than 150 mg/dL. Hence, lifestyle modification and early intervention will hopefully spare long-term complication of PCOS.

Madusudhanan RR, Nambisan B, Brahmanandan M, Radha S. Study on the Prevalence and Characteristics of Metabolic Syndrome in Women of Reproductive Age Group with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2017;9(4):341-347.