Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2012 Jan 16;196(1):62-6.
doi: 10.5694/mja11.10553.

Prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a sample of Indigenous women in Darwin, Australia

Jacqueline A Boyle  1 , Joan Cunningham, Kerin O'Dea, Terry Dunbar, Robert J Norman
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a sample of Indigenous women in Darwin, Australia

Jacqueline A Boyle et al. Med J Aust. .

Abstract

Objective: To document the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its associated characteristics in a sample of urban Indigenous women.

Design: A cross-sectional survey of Indigenous women, including biochemical and anthropometric assessments. PCOS was assessed using the National Institutes of Health 1990 criteria.

Setting and participants: Indigenous women, aged 15-44 years, living in a defined area in and around Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, September 2003-March 2005.

Main outcome measures: Proportion of participants with PCOS overall and measures of obesity.

Results: Among 248 women eligible for assessment, the proportion who had PCOS was 15.3% (95% CI, 10.8%-19.8%). The proportion with PCOS was similar across age groups, but was significantly higher (P = 0.001) in women with a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30.0 kg/m(2) (30.5%) compared with women with a BMI of 25.0-29.9 kg/m(2) (8.2%) or a BMI of < 25.0 kg/m(2) (7.0%).

Conclusions: A high proportion of these Indigenous women had PCOS. The significant relationship with obesity gives a strong rationale for screening for PCOS during routine care of Indigenous women who are obese and of reproductive age.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types