Does Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Associate with Risk of Female Sexual Dysfunction? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This study aims to evaluate whether polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a risk factor for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) through a meta-analysis. The association between PCOS and risk of FSD was performed by using the relative risk (RR) or the standard mean differences (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The protocol for this meta-analysis is available from PROSPERO (CRD42018102247). Overall, 2626 participants (mean age: 25-36 years) were included from 10 studies (5 cross-sectional and 5 case-control studies), 1163 of whom were women with PCOS. The pooled results from 8 included studies providing the number of cases revealed no significant association between PCOS and increased risk of FSD (RR = 1.09, 95%CI: 0.9-1.32, P =0.375; heterogeneity: I2 = 11.0%, P = 0.344). The combined overall SMD from 5 studies reporting the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) scores showed patients with PCOS had similar values in total FSFI scores compared to healthy controls (SMD = -0.03, 95%CI: -0.12, 0.05, P =0.448; heterogeneity: I2 = 0.0%, P = 0.568). Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results. The present meta-analysis suggests no direct association between PCOS and risk of FSD incidence. However, well-controlled trials with large sample size are still warranted to validate this evidence.
Source: Reproductive BioMedicine Online - Category: Reproduction Medicine Source Type: research