Prevalence of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Among Premenopausal Women With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE — Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Few studies have assessed women with type 2 diabetes to determine the frequency of PCOS in this population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — To determine the prevalence of PCOS among premenopausal women with type 2 diabetes, we conducted a retrospective cross-sectional prevalence study. We reviewed the medical records of all women seen in the Diabetes Clinic of the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals between January 1995 through February 2000. A diagnosis of PCOS was based on 1) oligomenorrhea, 2) hyperandrogenism (biochemical or clinical), and 3) exclusion of other related disorders. RESULTS — We reviewed the medical records of 618 women with diabetes and identified 47 women eligible for study. Of the 47 women, 30 consented to an evaluation. Of the 30 women evaluated, 8 were identified as having PCOS (6 women reported a previous PCOS diagnosis and 2 women were newly diagnosed), resulting in a prevalence of 26.7%. CONCLUSIONS — We concluded that PCOS occurs frequently among premenopausal women with type 2 diabetes