PCOS: Overview from Adolescence to Midlife

  PCOS: Overview from Adolescence to Midlife Incidence of PCOS in women in the reproductive age group is between 5 to 15%. In women presenting with infertility the incidence is about 30% and of all women attending gynecological clinics with irregular menstruation along with oligo/anovulation, more than 90% have PCOS. It is important to set proper criteria to diagnose PCOS with certainty so that the health risk of these women can be assessed and follow-up plans instituted. With a better understanding of the condition, the criteria for diagnosis of PCOS have been changing from time to time. The NIH/NICHD consensus conference defined this symptom complex in 1990, the Rotterdam PCOS consensus group redefined it in 2003 and the androgen excess PCOS Society again defined it in 2006. However, the emphasis remained to classify PCOS in a way that the high-health-risk group could be identified from the lower-health-risk group so that more vigorous follow-up and management could be assigned to