Abstract
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women and
can be associated with significant adverse sequelae that can affect overall long-term
health and well-being. This review provides a succinct but comprehensive overview
of our current understanding concerning the known morbidities of PCOS, beginning with
a review of the importance of the different phenotypes of PCOS in determining long-term
morbidity, the confounding impact of obesity on health outcomes in PCOS, and the immediate
short-term consequences of the disorder (including dermatologic, reproductive, and
mood disturbances). The longer-term morbidities of PCOS are then reviewed including
metabolic consequences (impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic
syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease), dyslipidemia and vascular dysfunction
(including hypertension and increased incidences of cerebrovascular accidents and
thromboembolisms on oral contraceptives), neoplastic (primarily endometrial adenocarcinoma),
and mental health disorders (including greater incidences of depressive and anxiety
disturbances and psychosexual dysfunction). In conclusion, strategies for the prevention
and amelioration of long-term morbidities in PCOS are presented.
Keywords
polycystic ovarian syndrome - health consequences - metabolic dysfunction - cardiovascular
disease - type 2 diabetes mellitus - endometrial adenocarcinoma - breast cancer -
hypertension - depression - anxiety
