Women with PCOS more prone to Unhealthy Eating Behaviors at midlife: Study

A new study published in the journal of Fertility and Sterility showed that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at midlife are more prone to unfavorable eating behaviors. Therefore Weight management counseling should be sensitive and holistic, addressing psychological distress and eventually targeted support can help reduce disordered eating patterns in this population.

Adults with at least 2 of the following symptoms; clinical or biochemical oligomenorrhea (OA), hyperandrogenism (HA), polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM), or increased antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels, are diagnosed with PCOS based on the updated Rotterdam criteria. Despite variations in body weight among PCOS phenotypes, obese women are more likely than non-PCOS women to gain weight starting in childhood. Consequently, this study was set to examine the domains of eating behavior (uncontrolled, emotional, and cognitive restraint eating) in midlife women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) who exhibited various PCOS symptoms and those who did not.

This prospective cohort study with domains of eating behavior were evaluated at 46 years of age. Variables gathered at the ages of 31 and 46 were used to assess eating behavior predictors. Using the modified Rotterdam criteria, women who were diagnosed with PCOS (n = 251) at age 31 were compared to those who did not meet any PCOS criteria (n = 935). Classic A+B-phenotype women (hyperandrogenism and oligomenorrhea, with or without elevated antimüllerian hormone, n = 60), C-phenotype women (hyperandrogenism and elevated antimüllerian hormone, n = 84), and D-phenotype women (oligomenorrhea and elevated antimüllerian hormone, n = 86) were included in the PCOS population.

At age 46, women with PCOS showed no change in cognitive restraint, but they did score higher on emotional and uncontrolled eating than those without PCOS. While uncontrolled eating ratings in the C-phenotype were greater than those in the D-phenotype and women without PCOS, emotional and uncontrolled eating scores were higher in the A+B-phenotype when compared to women without PCOS.

While a history of weight loss attempts was a predictor of uncontrolled eating, the impression of being overweight was an independent predictor of emotional eating among women with PCOS at the age of 46. A major risk factor for women with PCOS who scored in the highest quartile of emotional and uncontrolled eating at age 46 was having more psychological distress at age 31. Overall, middle aged women with PCOS had a strong propensity for unhealthy eating habits.

Reference:

Pesonen, E., Nurkkala, M., Ollila, M.-M., Hurskainen, E., Morin-Papunen, L. C., Jämsä, T., Korpelainen, R., Niemelä, M., & Piltonen, T. T. (2024). Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are at risk of emotional and uncontrolled eating at midlife: a population-based cohort study. Fertility and Sterility. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2024.09.042