Knowing about PCOS among Iraqi females in some collage of Tikrit Universities students

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) occurs in 4-10% of women around the world and can occur in 15-21% of women.It has a substantial impact on women's reproductive, metabolic and psychological health across the globe and is emerging as an important public health issue. It has three major features which are cysts in the ovaries, high levels of male hormones and uneven Periods.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the level of knowledge regarding polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), the sources of PCOS knowledge and inform university female students about the prevalence of the condition.

Methods: The survey research was conducted from 18th January 2023 till February 25, 2023 by publishing a Google form on social media, WhatsApp, telegram and sending link to all files with all the questions of the form, 15 questions were asked about their information about PCOS and 3 questions were asked about the characteristics features included (age, marital status). chronic and 23.8 claimed that it was. 86.2% reported that lifestyle plays a role in PCOS and 13.8% reported otherwise.

Results: The researches were given 130 surveys from various Governorates of Iragi. 90.8% age from (20-30) years. 66% thought that cause of PCOS is hormonal. 87% thought that gynaecologist is specialist in treatment of PCOS. 98.5% believed that PCOS had an impact on the menstrual cycle while 1.5% did not. 76.2% believed that PCOS is not considered as no. 93.1% believed that the fertility rate is effected by PCOS and only 6.9% said otherwise.

Conclusion: The present study showed that young Iraqi participant women (20-40 years old) had satisfactory knowledge regarding the etiology and symptoms of PCOS, but their knowledge was low about the specialists who should be consulted in the treatment of PCOS. Most of the participating women were not familiar with the right treatment, and approximately one-third of the participating women got information via social media.