A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Mental Health Among Black Asian Minority Ethnic Populations
March 2022
in “
medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
”
TLDR Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) increases the risk of mental health disorders, but its impact on Black Asian Minority Ethnic groups isn't fully known.
The systematic review and meta-analysis included 30 studies involving 3,944 women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). The analysis found that PCOS is associated with an increased risk of mental health disorders. Specifically, 17% of women with PCOS have a clinical diagnosis of major or severe depression, 33% have elevated depressive symptoms or a clinical diagnosis of depression, 41% report anxiety symptoms, and 31% have a form of common mental health or are taking psychiatric medication for anxiety and/or depression. However, the impact of PCOS on mental health among different ethnicities, particularly Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations, was not fully evaluated due to lack of stratification by ethnicity in most studies.