Increased Risk of Fractures in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Nationwide Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study

In 2017, a retrospective cohort study involving 11,106 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 44,424 age-matched controls without PCOS revealed that women with PCOS had a higher risk of fractures. The incidence of fractures was 10.16 per 1000 person-years in the PCOS group, compared to 8.07 per 1000 person-years in the non-PCOS group. The study found an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.23 for any fracture, 1.33 for osteoporotic fractures, 1.36 for spine fractures, and 1.39 for forearm fractures in the PCOS group. There was no increased risk found for fractures of the femur, hip, humerus, wrist, or non-osteoporotic fractures. The findings suggest that PCOS may have an adverse effect on bone health, leading to a higher occurrence rate of fractures.