TITLE:
Prevalence of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Nigerian Women with Infertility: A Prospective Study of the Three Assessment Criteria
AUTHORS:
Chinyere Blessing Akpata, Patrick Ojeifo Uadia, Friday Ebhodaghe Okonofua
KEYWORDS:
Infertility, Nigerian Women, Oligomenorrhea, Polycystic Ovarian Disease
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.8 No.12,
September
30,
2018
ABSTRACT: Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a frequent diagnosis in oligomenorrheic
and infertile Nigerian women. However, to date there is a paucity of data on
the prevalence of PCOS in Nigerian women. The objective of this study was to
investigate the prevalence of PCOS in a cross-section of women attending
Infertility Clinics in Benin City, Nigeria using the three assessment criteria
namely: the 1990 National Institutes of Health (NIH), the 2003 Rotterdam and
2006 Androgen Excess Society (AES) criteria. Method: Four hundred and
twenty-one consecutive infertile premenopausal women aged 18 - 45 years
were recruited and evaluated with a proforma that elicited information about
their maternal and reproductive health history. Blood samples were analyzed for
hormone levels using standard immunoassay procedures, while trans-vaginal
ultrasound scan was carried out to determine the presence of ultrasonic
features of PCOS. The control group comprised of eumenorrheics (n = 180). Results: An estimated prevalence of biochemical hyperandrogenism (BHA) was as high as
20.9% (88 women), while 3.6% (15 women) presented with clinical
hyperandrogenism (CHA). Also the prevalence of polycystic ovaries (PCO) was
13.8%. The prevalence of PCOS based on NIH, Rotterdam and AES criteria was
16.9% (71 women), 27.6% (116 women) and 20.7% (87 women) respectively. However,
women with PCOS were significantly younger and had higher total testosterone
levels (p = 0.001)
when compared to controls. Conclusion: The prevalence of PCOS is as high
in the population under study as in other prevalence studies. The hormonal
investigations were clinically useful in assessing the prevalence rates. However,
the recruitment criteria, together with the regional and racial factors may
have contributed to the estimates obtained, and the high incidence of biochemical
hyperandrogenism in this region.