Health Care-Related Economic Burden of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in the United States: Pregnancy-Related and Long-Term Health Consequences.

CONTEXT Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder of reproductive-aged women, affecting approximately 5-20% of women of reproductive age. A previous estimate noted that the economic burden of PCOS approximates $3.7 billion annually in 2020 USD when considering only the costs of the initial diagnosis and of reproductive endocrine morbidities, not considering the costs of pregnancy-related and long-term morbidities. OBJECTIVE To estimate the excess prevalence and economic burden of pregnancy-related and long-term health morbidities attributable to PCOS. DATA SOURCES PubMed, EmBase and Cochrane Library. STUDY SELECTION Studies in which the diagnosis of PCOS was consistent with the Rotterdam, National Institutes of Health (NIH), or Androgen Excess & PCOS (AE-PCOS) Society criteria, or that used electronic medical record diagnosis codes, or diagnosis based on histopathologic sampling were eligible for inclusion. Studies that included an outcome of interest and a control group of non-PCOS patients who were matched or controlled for body mass index (BMI) were included. DATA EXTRACTION Two investigators working independently extracted data on study characteristics and outcomes. DATA SYNTHESIS Data was pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. The I 2statistic was used to assess inter-study heterogeneity. The quality of selected studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS The additional total healthcare-related economic burden due to pregnancy-related and long-term morbidities associated with PCOS in the United States is estimated to be $4.3 billion annually in 2020 USD. CONCLUSIONS Together with our prior analysis, the economic burden of PCOS is estimated at $8 billion annually in 2020 USD.