No link between PCOS and higher rate of abnormal cysts: study

Women of reproductive age often find out they have PCOS after struggling to concieve. (AP Photo: Teresa Crawford, file) A new study has found women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) do not have a higher rate of abnormal ovarian cysts than the general population. PCOS is a common hormonal condition which affects about one in eight women but can take up to 12 years to diagnose. Researchers say their findings support a global push to change the name of PCOS to one that more accurately reflects the condition's health impacts. Link copiedShareShare articleDespite what the name suggests, women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) do not have a higher rate of abnormal ovarian cysts than women without the condition. That's according to a new study of 1,235 Finnish women published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. PCOS is a lifelong, complex hormonal and metabolic disorder that affects about one in eight women and can lead to infertility and conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Terhi Piltonen, study lead author and professor in obstetrics and gynaecology at Finland's University of Oulu said this was the first population-based study to investigate the presence of abnormal ovarian cysts in women with PCOS. "It is important given the fact that PCOS is a lifelong condition affecting several organs and having vast endocrinological, metabolic and psychological health outcomes," she said. The researchers said their findings supported a global push to change the name. "The findings of this cross-sectional study provide evidence that the concern of pathological ovarian cysts in PCOS is unfounded," the researchers wrote. The study results weren't a surprise to women's health specialists who agreed the name PCOS didn't accurately reflect the condition. People with PCOS can have irregular or absent periods, whereas others may have long and heavy ones. (Adobe Stock) It's not clear what causes the condition, although there may be a genetic or environmental link. To diagnose the condition, women currently need to have two out of three of the following symptoms: Many women with the condition have insulin resistance, which is associated with an increased long-term risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity. It could take up to 10 years to diagnose someone with the condition, which meant many women missed out on early intervention, said Devini Ameratunga, a Brisbane-based reproductive endocrinologist not involved in the study. But there was also an issue with over-diagnosis, Dr Ameratunga said, as not everyone with PCOS presented in "exactly the same way". The ovaries of women of reproductive age contain a number of different types of follicles and hormonal structures that are involved in egg development, ovulation and implantation. If a mature — or "dominant" — follicle containing a developed egg fails to release the egg or there is bleeding during ovulation, it can become a type of abnormal or non-cancerous cyst. Other types of abnormal cysts can be caused by endometriosis, or contain skin or hair cells and are present from birth. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely to have multiple small, immature follicles in their ovaries that look like cysts but aren't. (Supplied) The JAMA study used data from the long-running and comprehensive Finnish Women's Health Study (WENDY). To look at the frequency of cysts in a population of Finnish women who were not using hormonal contraception, the researchers compared the ultrasounds of 223 women diagnosed with PCOS to 1,012 women who did not have the condition. The researchers found that women with PCOS were 12 times more likely to have multiple antral follicles in their ovaries, but did not have a higher rate of dominant follicles or abnormal, non-cancerous ovarian cysts. Dr Ameratunga said these findings were consistent with how specialists saw and diagnosed PCOS. "It's not something new to us in the fertility world," she said. The name PCOS was inspired by antral follicles, Dr Ameratunga said, as the tiny white sacks could sometimes look like cysts. The study's researchers also said the findings suggested that women with PCOS did not require ultra-sonography more often than women without PCOS to detect benign or pathological non-cancerous ovarian cysts. Magdalena Simonis said although PCOS had no cure, symptoms could be managed with consultation with a doctor. (ABC News: Tara Whitchurch) Magdalena Simonis, a practising GP and women's health expert from the University of Melbourne not involved in the study, described it as a "really important paper". "It does confirm what we know, that measuring ovarian cyst numbers does not equate or correlate with the cardio-metabolic effects of the disease of the presence of the disease and syndrome," Dr Simonas said. The researchers said there were some limitations to the study, including that 97 per cent of its participants were white Europeans and that the ultrasounds

No link between PCOS and higher rate of abnormal cysts: study

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