Health care-related economic burden of the polycystic ovary syndrome during the reproductive life span.
BACKGROUND
The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine abnormality of reproductive-aged women today, affecting approximately 6.6% of unselected reproductive-aged women (approximately 4 million women in the United States) (1990 National Institutes of Health criteria), and potentially represents a significant financial burden to our health care.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to define, using current definitions and prevalence or incidence data, the minimal economic burden that PCOS in reproductive-aged women represents for the United States.


METHODS
The study design was a literature review.


METHODS
The study was conducted at a tertiary care center.


METHODS
There were no patients or other participants.


METHODS
We performed a systematic review of the published medical literature to identify studies evaluating epidemiology of reproductive-age PCOS and its clinical consequences and costs. We tied general societal cost data for the different health consequences to reproductive-age PCOS costs, using prevalence data.


METHODS
The main measure in the study was total health care-related economic costs.


RESULTS
We estimated the mean annual cost of the initial evaluation to be dollar 93 million (2.1% of total costs), that of hormonally treating menstrual dysfunction/abnormal uterine bleeding to be dollar 1.35 billion (31.0% of total), that of providing infertility care to be dollar 533 million (12.2% of total), that of PCOS-associated diabetes to be dollar 1.77 billion (40.5% of total), and that of treating hirsutism to be dollar 622 million (14.2% of total).


CONCLUSIONS
The total cost of evaluating and providing care to reproductive-aged PCOS women in the United States is dollar 4.36 billion. Because the cost of the diagnostic evaluation accounted for a relatively minor part of the total costs (approximately 2%), more widespread and liberal screening for the disorder appears be a cost-effective strategy, leading to earlier diagnosis and intervention and possibly the amelioration and prevention of serious sequelae.
Azziz
Ricardo
R
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8635 West Third Street, Suite 160 W, Los Angeles, California 90048, USA. azzizr@cshs.org
Marin
Catherine
C
Hoq
Lalima
L
Badamgarav
Enkhe
E
Song
Paul
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology