Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical features and health quality profile differences between infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotypes and women with unexplained infertility.

Material and Methods:

The WHOQOL-BREF were administered in a cross-sectional survey to 132 women diagnosed with PCOS (study group) and 32 women diagnosed with unexplained infertility (control group). Body mass index (BMI), duration of infertility (DOI), type of infertility (TOI) and Ferriman Gallwey scores (FG scores), were compared between the study and control groups and between different phenotype groups of PCOS: Group 1-Hyperandrogenemia (HA)- anovulation (N=34), Group 2-HA-PCO (ovulatory PCOS, (N=34), Group 3-PCO-anovulation (N=32), and Group 4-HA-PCO-anovulation (N=32) and the associations of these parameters with the health quality profile were analyzed.

Results:

Physical, Spiritual and Environmental scores were significantly lower (p<0.05) in Group 1 patients (HA-AO) in comparison to the other three PCOS groups and the control group, while the same difference was observed in the social scores with a near significance (p=0.05). Linear regeression analyses revealed significant associations between type of infertility (beta coefficient: -0.423, p=0.001), FG score (beta coefficient: -0.177, p=0.016), phenotype 1 (beta coefficient: -0.236, p=0.002) and physical scores. Psychological scores were associated with the type (beta coefficient: -0.641, p=0.001) and duration (beta coefficient: -0.149, p=0.009) of infertility. Scores in the social area were only associated with type of infertility (beta coefficient: -0.443, p=0.001). Scores of environmental area were significantly associated again with the type of infertility (beta coefficient: -0.499, p=0.001) and FG scores (beta coefficient: -0.195, p=0.008). Primary infertility was a risk factor for low physical (odds ratio: 8.100, 95% CI: 3.827-17.142), social (odds ratio: 9.183, 95% CI: 4.084-20.648) and environmental (odds ratio: 9.966, 95% CI: 4.623-21.468) scores determined according to the median level.

Conclusion:

FG scores, primary infertility and phenotype 1 PCOS were associated with lower health quality of life scores. Infertile women with Phenotype 1 (HA-AO) had the lowest scores.

Keywords: Health related quality of life, polycystic ovary syndrome, phenotypes, unexplained infertility, hirsutism