Phenotype Characteristics and Risk Factors of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome among Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition that occurs in women and is associated with problems such as menstrual irregularities; hirsutism; obesity; insulin resistance; acne; and later life with diabetes mellitus and uterine cancer.
Aim: The study was to assess phenotype characteristics and risk factors of the polycystic ovarian syndrome among nursing students.
Methods: Cross-sectional study (descriptive) included a sample of 400 females from the Faculty of Nursing, Zagazig University, Egypt.
Tools: The tools were used for data collection; structured-interviewing questionnaire sheet, data related to anthropometric measures, risk factors about PCOS, and observational checklist about phenotype characteristics of PCO.
Results: The results showed that (6%) of the studied student females had a family history of PCO, nearly half of them had fast food, more than half of studied student females had hirsutism, more than one quarter had acne, (14.5%) had menstrual irregularity and one-third of them had continuous abnormal weight gain. Also, this study showed that lack of awareness was found among the majority of girls about PCOS.
Conclusion: It could be concluded that a family history of PCOS, obesity, and fast food diet habits are found to be the predisposing factors for the development of PCOS. The risk of PCOS increases with the presence of one or more identified predisposing factors. Most of the factors tested as predisposing factors in our study are interlinked to each other and are mostly modifiable. Although PCOS is a prevalent endocrine disorder, there was poor knowledge among student females in the Faculty of Nursing Zagazig University.
The study recommended screening programs from the ministry of health for early detection of predisposing factors of PCOS including the secondary school students and faculties’ students through educational programs and messages through the counseling, brochures, to increase student’s awareness about PCOS symptoms.
Future Perspective: Further research on a larger sample size to identify how the problem is risky and how to deal with it. Including the problem in social media and healthy channels.