Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are eight times more more likely to attempt suicide than women without the common hormonal condition, a shocking recent study has found.
An estimated 5 million to six million American women have PCOS, which affects some 8% to 13% of girls of childbearing age, statistics show. Many don’t even know they’ve the disorder until they unsuccessfully attempt to get pregnant.
PCOS can affect a girl’s fertility and appearance — developing pimples, excess hair growth, obesity and irregular periods can greatly reduce their quality of life.
Now, a study published Tuesday within the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that PCOS victims face an 8.47-fold increased risk of suicide attempts.
Notably, youth with the incurable, but treatable condition have a 5.38-fold elevated risk.
“This means the importance of routine monitoring of mental health and suicide risk in individuals diagnosed with PCOS,” the study authors wrote.
Researchers from Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan analyzed data from nearly 19,000 females 12 to 64 years old diagnosed with PCOS between 1997 and 2012.
The patients were matched with women in a control group by age, income, and physical and mental health conditions.
The danger of suicide attempts is 9.15 times higher for PCOS-afflicted adults under 40 and three.75 times higher for older adults, compared with the control groups, per the study.
The lower risk for older adults may very well be linked to an easing of PCOS symptoms with age, the researchers suggest.
Prior studies have shown that girls diagnosed with PCOS have the next risk of developing psychiatric conditions, akin to depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and schizophrenia.
“Challenges related to fertility and the management of PCOS symptoms could further compound existing mental health challenges,” the Taiwanese researchers wrote as they acknowledged the stigmas surrounding symptoms akin to obesity and infertility.
There is no such thing as a cure for PCOS, which occurs when ovaries produce excess hormones, and the precise reason behind the condition is unknown.
Nevertheless, symptoms might be managed with contraception, medications that block the results of the surplus hormones, and a well-balanced weight loss program to manage insulin levels.
Several celebrities, including “Pretty Little Liars” actress Sasha Pieterse, 27, have come forward with their PCOS struggles. Pieterse said she gained 70 kilos as an adolescent as a consequence of PCOS.
“Should you think in regards to the disorder itself… you may see how that medical disorder could create psychological stress,” Dr G. Thomas Ruiz, a California-based OB/GYN, told Medical News Today this week.
“The essential challenge [can be that] you’re obese… You’re a girl that could be growing a beard. You’re not getting periods,” he continued. “And it’s like this wicked cycle due to high insulin and you are attempting to do things to drop a few pounds and also you don’t drop a few pounds. And what if you would like to get pregnant? Well, you possibly can’t get pregnant should you’re not ovulating.”
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are eight times more more likely to attempt suicide than women without the common hormonal condition, a shocking recent study has found.
An estimated 5 million to six million American women have PCOS, which affects some 8% to 13% of girls of childbearing age, statistics show. Many don’t even know they’ve the disorder until they unsuccessfully attempt to get pregnant.
PCOS can affect a girl’s fertility and appearance — developing pimples, excess hair growth, obesity and irregular periods can greatly reduce their quality of life.
Now, a study published Tuesday within the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that PCOS victims face an 8.47-fold increased risk of suicide attempts.
Notably, youth with the incurable, but treatable condition have a 5.38-fold elevated risk.
“This means the importance of routine monitoring of mental health and suicide risk in individuals diagnosed with PCOS,” the study authors wrote.
Researchers from Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan analyzed data from nearly 19,000 females 12 to 64 years old diagnosed with PCOS between 1997 and 2012.
The patients were matched with women in a control group by age, income, and physical and mental health conditions.
The danger of suicide attempts is 9.15 times higher for PCOS-afflicted adults under 40 and three.75 times higher for older adults, compared with the control groups, per the study.
The lower risk for older adults may very well be linked to an easing of PCOS symptoms with age, the researchers suggest.
Prior studies have shown that girls diagnosed with PCOS have the next risk of developing psychiatric conditions, akin to depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and schizophrenia.
“Challenges related to fertility and the management of PCOS symptoms could further compound existing mental health challenges,” the Taiwanese researchers wrote as they acknowledged the stigmas surrounding symptoms akin to obesity and infertility.
There is no such thing as a cure for PCOS, which occurs when ovaries produce excess hormones, and the precise reason behind the condition is unknown.
Nevertheless, symptoms might be managed with contraception, medications that block the results of the surplus hormones, and a well-balanced weight loss program to manage insulin levels.
Several celebrities, including “Pretty Little Liars” actress Sasha Pieterse, 27, have come forward with their PCOS struggles. Pieterse said she gained 70 kilos as an adolescent as a consequence of PCOS.
“Should you think in regards to the disorder itself… you may see how that medical disorder could create psychological stress,” Dr G. Thomas Ruiz, a California-based OB/GYN, told Medical News Today this week.
“The essential challenge [can be that] you’re obese… You’re a girl that could be growing a beard. You’re not getting periods,” he continued. “And it’s like this wicked cycle due to high insulin and you are attempting to do things to drop a few pounds and also you don’t drop a few pounds. And what if you would like to get pregnant? Well, you possibly can’t get pregnant should you’re not ovulating.”
