The Effect of Women's Awareness on the Prevention and Management of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Background & Objective: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder that occurs in women of reproductive age. Greater awareness and early intervention are necessary to avert the sequelae like infertility, metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus. The present study was conducted with aim to determine the effect of women’s awareness on the prevention and treatment of PCOS.Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Maternity and Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Al-Samawa City and recruited 455 women selected by a purposive and non-probability sampling. The ten item questionnaire was used based on general awareness, prevention, and management of PCOS. The structured interviews was performed to gather the data. The questionnaire was validated by a group of physicians and nursing experts. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics and Chi-square test to investigate the correlations between the level of awareness and socio-demographic characteristics.Results: The results showed that 47.1% of the respondents had moderate level of awareness regarding PCOS prevention and management, 33.8% showed inadequate awareness and only 18.9% had commendable level of awareness. Moreover, 51.35% of women were aged 27-35 years and the next largest group was aged 36 years and above; 56.7% lived in rural, and 53.85% were married. In addition, 49.2% had primary education, 26.4% secondary and 19.1% college degrees. Educational attainment and PCOS awareness were significantly correlated (P=0.042); nevertheless, no significant results were observed concerning age (P=0.433), residence (P=0.925), marital status (P=0.998) and family income (P=0.986).Conclusion: The results showed that awareness of the PCOS prevention and management among women is still characterized mainly by moderate and insufficient levels, and educational attainment is one of the key determinants of that awareness.