Risk of obstructive sleep apnea in obese and nonobese women with polycystic ovary syndrome and healthy reproductively normal women

The study, involving 44 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 34 control women, aimed to evaluate the risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in both obese and nonobese women with PCOS compared to healthy women. It was found that 47% of women with PCOS were at high risk for OSA, significantly higher than the 15% in control women. However, this risk was not present in nonobese women with PCOS, as none of the 17 nonobese PCOS women screened positively for OSA. In obese women, the risk of OSA was not significantly different between those with PCOS (77%) and controls (63%). The study concluded that the high risk of OSA in women with PCOS is mainly due to obesity rather than the PCOS condition itself, and that BMI is a significant predictor of OSA risk. The study was limited by the absence of polysomnographic confirmation of OSA.