Saima Naz, Farhana Asghar, Yusra Iqbal, Zulekha Naseem, Mahnoor Jathol.
Knowledge and attitude of young female population toward early diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome.
Biomedica Jan ;38(4):219-24.

Background and Objective: The heterogeneous illness known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) causes multisystem morbidities and is one of the major causes of female infertility. This study aimed at assessing the knowledge and attitude of the young female population towards the early diagnosis of PCOS in Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey study was carried out at the Lahore Wapda Hospital Complex, Pakistan over a period of 1 year (January 2021 to 2022). A total of 1,278 females with active PCOS from 18-23 years of age were selected for the study from all provinces of Pakistan. A total of 96 responses were excluded because of inconsistency, incompletion, or duplication while the remaining 1,182 respondents were finally included in the study. Regression analysis, analysis of variance, and t-test were applied for statistical inferences. Results: Only 45.3% of the patients had significant knowledge (p-value = 0.001) or a positive attitude about the early diagnosis of PCOS. The participants who were diagnosed with abdominal ultrasonography scored significantly higher in attitude towards earlier diagnosis than those who were diagnosed with serum gonadotropins and/or androgens levels (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Lack of appropriate information and awareness regarding PCOS and its complications while bearing a poor attitude concerning the early diagnosis of this syndrome leads to higher disease burden and morbidity in our younger female population.

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