Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women

Zaheera Saadia; Ghady Ali Alharbi; Kady Althunayyan; Raghad Ibrahim Albarrak; Ghadah Abdullah Alharbi; Latifah Yousef Almutlaq; Nesreen Almubarak

doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

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Original Article
Online Published: 28 Jan 2026

IJMDC. 2026; 10(2): 656-660

doi: 10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women

Zaheera Saadia, Ghady Ali Alharbi, Kady Althunayyan, Raghad Ibrahim Albarrak, Ghadah Abdullah Alharbi, Latifah Yousef Almutlaq, Nesreen Almubarak.

Abstract
Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among reproduc tive-aged women and is associated with infertility, metabolic complications, and profound psychosocial impact. Understanding its effect on fertility, psychological health, and quality of life (QoL) in Saudi women is essential to guide culturally tailored interventions.
Objective: To evaluate the impact of PCOS on fertility-related concerns, psychological well-being, and QoL among Saudi women.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 222 Saudi women diagnosed with PCOS. The questionnaire assessed fertility-related concerns, psychological distress (five Likert-scale items), QoL (five WHOQOL-derived items), and PCOS symptom burden (hair growth, weight, menstrual irregularities, social impact, and infertility worry). Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, Pearson correlations, and chi-square tests were applied.
Results: The mean psychological distress score was 10.9 ± 3.1/20, mean QoL score 16.8 ± 4.4/25, and mean PCOS burden 15.1 ± 5.0/25. Women worried about infertility (32% of sample) reported significantly higher psychological distress (11.8 vs. 10.5, p = 0.0049) and lower QoL (15.7 vs. 17.3, p = 0.016). PCOS burden correlated moderately with distress (r = +0.52, p < 0.0001) and moderately with reduced QoL (r = -0.36, p < 0.0001). Chi-square analyses showed that weight concern (χ² = 25.17, p < 0.0001) and social life disruption (χ² = 25.15, p < 0.0001) were most strongly associated with lower QoL, while hair growth (p = 0.002) and menstrual irregularities (p = 0.025) were also significant; infertility worry was not directly linked to QoL category (p = 0.11).
Conclusion: PCOS substantially affects Saudi women’s mental health and quality of life, especially through weight-related distress and social limitations. Addressing body image and social support may be critical in improving outcomes.

Key words: Keywords: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; PCOS; Infertility; Psychological distress; Quality of life; Saudi Arabia; Women’s health; Body image; Social impact; Weight concern

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Pubmed Style

Saadia Z, Alharbi GA, Althunayyan K, Albarrak RI, Alharbi GA, Almutlaq LY, Almubarak N. Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women. IJMDC. 2026; 10(2): 656-660. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

Web Style

Saadia Z, Alharbi GA, Althunayyan K, Albarrak RI, Alharbi GA, Almutlaq LY, Almubarak N. Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women. https://www.ijmdc.com/?mno=305667 [Access: June 27, 2026]. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Saadia Z, Alharbi GA, Althunayyan K, Albarrak RI, Alharbi GA, Almutlaq LY, Almubarak N. Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women. IJMDC. 2026; 10(2): 656-660. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Saadia Z, Alharbi GA, Althunayyan K, Albarrak RI, Alharbi GA, Almutlaq LY, Almubarak N. Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women. IJMDC. (2026), [cited June 27, 2026]; 10(2): 656-660. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

Harvard Style

Saadia, Z., Alharbi, . G. A., Althunayyan, . K., Albarrak, . R. I., Alharbi, . G. A., Almutlaq, . L. Y. & Almubarak, . N. (2026) Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women. IJMDC, 10 (2), 656-660. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

Turabian Style

Saadia, Zaheera, Ghady Ali Alharbi, Kady Althunayyan, Raghad Ibrahim Albarrak, Ghadah Abdullah Alharbi, Latifah Yousef Almutlaq, and Nesreen Almubarak. 2026. Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (2), 656-660. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

Chicago Style

Saadia, Zaheera, Ghady Ali Alharbi, Kady Althunayyan, Raghad Ibrahim Albarrak, Ghadah Abdullah Alharbi, Latifah Yousef Almutlaq, and Nesreen Almubarak. "Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women." International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries 10 (2026), 656-660. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Saadia, Z., Alharbi, . G. A., Althunayyan, . K., Albarrak, . R. I., Alharbi, . G. A., Almutlaq, . L. Y. & Almubarak, . N. (2026) Impact of polycystic ovary syndrome on fertility, psychological well-being, and quality of life among Saudi Women. International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, 10 (2), 656-660. doi:10.24911/IJMDC.51-1767616368

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