Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormone imbalance that causes infertility, obesity and excessive facial hair in women, can also lead to severe mental health issues including anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Common physical manifestations of PCOS: acne, obesity, hirsutism, and anovulation can have adverse effects on female’s self-image and mood. Dissatisfaction with body image is one of the major causes for psychological disorders even in a healthy population; most women affected by PCOS are overweight, and having a high BMI exposes them to several appearance-related challenges. Therapy should focus on both the short and long-term reproductive, metabolic and psychological features. Small achievable goals of 5% loss of body weight result in significant clinical improvement even if women remain clinically in the unhealthy overweight or obese range. The present study showed that clinical signs of PCOS were most closely associated with psychological distress which has important implications in the diagnosis and treatment of disorder.

Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Hirsutism; Obesity; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.