Table 1.
Demographic characteristics, anthropometrics, bowel symptom profiles, and prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome in PCOS and control groups.
| Characteristics | PCOS | Control | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 431 | 259 | |
| Age, y | 25.3 ± 4.9 | 48.4 ± 10.5 | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26.4 ± 6.5 | 23.0 ± 12.6 | <0.001 |
| ≥30, n (%) | 126 (29) | 9 (4) | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 90.0 ± 14.7 | 77.8 ± 8.5 | 0.024 |
| ≥80, n (%) | 312 (73) | 102 (40) | <0.001 |
| GI symptoms in the last 3 months | |||
| Abdominal pain or discomfort not related to menstruation, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Never | 162 (38) | 139 (54) | |
| Less than one day a month | 59 (14) | 44 (17) | |
| One day a month | 53 (12) | 23 (9) | |
| Two to three days a month | 82 (19) | 33 (13) | |
| One day a week | 27 (6) | 4 (2) | |
| More than one day a week | 32 (7) | 11 (4) | |
| Every day | 16 (4) | 5 (2) | |
| Hard or lumpy stool, n (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Never or rarely | 181 (42) | 131 (51) | |
| Sometimes | 189 (44) | 79 (31) | |
| Often | 34 (8) | 27 (10) | |
| Most of the time | 20 (5) | 14 (5) | |
| Always | 7 (2) | 8 (3) | |
| Loose or watery stool, n (%) | 0.394 | ||
| Never or rarely | 174 (40) | 120 (46) | |
| Sometimes | 205 (48) | 110 (43) | |
| Often | 36 (8) | 17 (7) | |
| Most of the time | 15 (4) | 12 (5) | |
| Always | 1 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Diagnosis of IBS (Rome III), n (%) | 46 (10.7) | 15 (5.8) | 0.029 |
| Constipation-predominant (IBS-C) | 2 (4) | 1 (7) | |
| Diarrhea-predominant (IBS-D) | 9 (20) | 1(7) | |
| Mixed (IBS-M) | 34 (74) | 13 (87) | |
| Un-subtyped (IBS-U) | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
a. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation or number (percentage).
b. BMI, body mass index; GI, gastrointestinal; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome.
c. p < 0.05 indicates statistical significance.