Polycystic ovary syndrome, or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age.[14] The syndrome is named after cysts which form on the ovaries of some women with this condition, though this is not a universal symptom, and not the underlying cause of the disorder.[15][16]
A review of international evidence found that the prevalence of PCOS could be as high as 26% among some populations, though ranges between 4% and 18% are reported for general populations.[18][19][20]
The exact cause of PCOS remains uncertain, and treatment involves management of symptoms using medication.[19]
^Dunaif A, Fauser BC (November 2013). "Renaming PCOS--a two-state solution". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 98 (11): 4325–4328. doi:10.1210/jc.2013-2040. PMC3816269. PMID24009134. Around 20% of European women have polycystic ovaries (the prevalence is even higher in some other populations) but approximately two-thirds of these women do not have PCOS
^Khan MJ, Ullah A, Basit S. Genetic Basis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): Current Perspectives. Appl Clin Genet. 2019 Dec 24;12:249-260. doi: 10.2147/TACG.S200341. PMID 31920361; PMCID: PMC6935309.
^Muscogiuri G, Altieri B, de Angelis C, Palomba S, Pivonello R, Colao A, et al. (September 2017). "Shedding new light on female fertility: The role of vitamin D". Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders. 18 (3): 273–283. doi:10.1007/s11154-017-9407-2. PMID28102491. S2CID33422072.