Are patients with polycystic ovary syndrome more prone to irritable bowel syndrome?

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) encompasses endocrine, reproductive and metabolic disturbances. Abdominal pain and bowel movement disturbances are common complaints of PCOS patients. It remains uncertain whether the characteristic features of PCOS are associated with an increased incidence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods: 133 patients with PCOS diagnosed according to international evidence-based guidelines and 72 age- and BMI-matched eumenorrheic controls were enrolled to the study. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical and hormonal characteristics were collected. The Rome IV criteria were used for IBS diagnosis. Quality of life(QoL) and depressive symptoms were also assessed. Results: IBS symptom prevalence in PCOS was not significantly different than in controls. Hyperandrogenism, simple and visceral obesity did not appear to affect IBS prevalence in PCOS. There were no anthropometric, hormonal or biochemical differences between IBS-PCOS and non-IBS-PCOS patients, apart from IBS-PCOS patients being slightly older and having lower TSH. Metabolic syndrome (MS) prevalence was higher in IBS-PCOS than non-IBS-PCOS. QoL appears to be significantly lower in IBS-PCOS compared to PCOS-only patients. The occurrence of depression was higher in IBS-PCOS vs. non-IBS-PCOS patients. At least one alarm symptom was reported by 87.5% of IBS-PCOS; overall, this group experienced more alarm symptoms than the IBS-only group. Conclusions: As a link between PCOS and IBS comorbidity and increased MS prevalence was noted, patients presenting with both conditions may benefit from early MS diagnostics, and management. The high incidence of alarm symptoms in PCOS women in this study highlights the need for differential diagnosis of organic diseases that could mimic IBS symptoms.

Evaluation of Bodily Pain Associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Review of Health-Related Quality of Life and Potential Risk Factors

“…Sexual difficulties resulting from pain during intercourse are another major complaint of patients with PCOS [ 122 , 123 , 124 ], and they are typical symptoms of endometriosis. Relative to healthy individuals, patients with PCOS are more likely to develop chronic-pain-related and neuropathic-pain-related conditions such as migraine [ 27 ], fibromyalgia [ 107 ], rheumatoid arthritis [ 125 ], and irritable bowel syndrome [ 126 , 127 , 128 ]; thus, PCOS is a potential risk factor for the increased prevalence of pain-related conditions. However, the current HRQoL survey formats are limited in their ability to obtain comprehensive information regarding the pain perception of patients with PCOS.…”

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Is There a Common Pathway?

“…All of these studies had moderate to high-quality score. In two studies, the prevalence of IBS was similar in women with PCOS compared with the controls [6,7]. The results of Kałużna et al's study showed that the prevalence of IBS symptoms in patients with PCOS was not different from that in the control group.…”

“…All of these studies had moderate to high‐quality score. In two studies, the prevalence of IBS was similar in women with PCOS compared with the controls [ 6 , 7 ]. The results of Kałużna et al.…”

“…It has been proposed that gastrointestinal dysbiosis can play a role in the pathophysiology of PCOS [ 5 ]. PCOS patients are more prone to experience gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) [ 6 , 7 ]. A recent meta‐analysis showed that the risk of IBS in women with PCOS is two times higher in the than control group [ 8 ].…”

“…Genetic factors, in combination with epigenetic, environmental and peripheral factors, contribute to the development of IBS [ 13 ]. The increased prevalence of IBS among females with PCOS [ 6 , 14 ] could be explained in several ways including the fluctuation of sex hormones. In the light of this fact, IBS is highly correlated with metabolic syndrome (METs) [ 15 ].…”