INTRODUCTION:

In India, PCOS prevalence (Rotterdam’s criteria) where reported as 9.13% and 22.5% respectively.¹ Quality of life (QOL) is a complex and multidimensional concept that is difficult to define and measure.²

According to a prospective study conducted by R. Nidhi et al, the prevalence of PCOS among 460 girls was found to be 19.13% in in a residential college of Andhra Pradesh, South India.³

Around 4 – 6% of women had hyperandrogenic chronic anovulation which occur in PCOD. In United States of America, around 5 million young women are affected with PCOS.⁴

Quality of Life is individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns. It is a broad ranging concept affected in a complex way by the person's physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs and their relationship to salient features of their environment.⁵

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is an endocrinopathy among reproductive age women. Its incidence is increasing due to change in lifestyle and stress. Women with PCOS are at an increased risk for infertility, pre- eclampsia, early pregnancy loss and endometrial cancer.⁶ The metabolic problems that are more prone to occur in PCOS patients are insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and obesity. Increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and infertility are among the long-term health consequences.⁷

According to Hahh et al BMI and hirsutism have an adverse effect on women's mental well-being and lead to a lower quality of life.⁸

Lifestyle modification is the first-line of treatment for adolescent with PCOS. Diet, exercise, and behavioural strategies are recommended in all those with PCOS and especially in overweight and obese girls. Approximately 5–10% weight loss yields a significant clinical improvement and is considered “successful weight reduction” within 6 months.⁹

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

Research Approach: Cross-sectional approach:

Study design: The design opted for this study was non-experimental descriptive study with the intension to assess the quality of life of students with the Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome among nursing students Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing

Research setting:

Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing, XX University, Gangtok, Sikkim, India

Participant:

Female students diagnosed with PCOS of age between 18 to 30 years of Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing

Sampling Criteria:

Female college students:

· Who are diagnosed with PCOS

· Who are between 18 to 30 years of age

· who are willing to participate or give consent

Sampling Technique:

Purposive sampling technique

Data collection tools and techniques:

Data was collected using standardized the WHOQOL-BREF tool for Quality of life using self-report technique.

Data analysis:

Descriptive statistics, frequency & percentage distribution of demographic Proforma of participants, calculation of mean, median and SD was done.

Ethical consideration:

Ethical approval was granted by the Sikkim Manipal Institution Ethic Committee (Ref no. XX/IEC/2021-84)

Informed written Consent was obtained from the participants.

RESULTS:

Organization of the findings:

The data is analyzed and presented under the following sections:

Section I: Distribution of demographic variables of nursing students.

Section II: Distribution of nursing students with poly cystic ovarian syndrome.

Section III: Distribution of quality of life among the nursing students with poly cystic ovarian syndrome.

Section I: Distribution of demographic variables of nursing students:

The data were collected from 387 students of Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing, this section deals with the analysis of data related to selected demographic proforma such as religion, area of residence, height weight, monthly income, highest education, type of family duration of menstrual cycle and family history. The analysis of the data is computed using frequency and percentage which is depicted in table below.

Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of demographic variables N=387

Demographic Variables

Frequency

(f)

Percentage

(%)

Presently studying in

a. B.Sc Nursing 1^st year

b. B.Sc Nursing 2^nd year

c. B.Sc Nursing 3^rd year

d. B.Sc Nursing 4^th year

e. M.Sc Nursing 1^st year

f. M.Sc Nursing 2^nd year

24.5

18.8

22.5

25.1

5.2

3.9

Age in years

a. 18-21

b. 22-25

c. 26-30

266

104

68.7

26.9

4.4

Religion

a. Buddhist

b.Hindu

c. Muslim

d. Others

102

233

26.4

60.2

2.3

11.1

Type of family

a. Joint family

b. Nuclear family

c. Single family

299

20.4

77.3

2.3

Residency

a. Rural

b. Urban

148

239

38.2

61.8

Height in cm

a. 140-150

b. 151-160

c. 161-170

d. 171-180

228

58.9

17.1

1.0

Weight in kg

a. 45-55

b. 56-65

c. 66-76

d. ≥ 76

225

123

58.1

31.8

8.5

1.6

Duration of menstrual cycle

(in days)

a. < 25

b. 25-34

c. 35-60

d. More than 60

104

250

26.8

64.6

6.7

1.8

Ever heard about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

a. Yes

b. No

298

If Yes, what is the source of information

a. Family member

b. Health worker

c. Mass media

d. Other

110

10.8

28.8

23.4

History of Diabetes, High blood pressure or Endocrine disorders

a. Yes

b. No

189

198

48.8

51.2

Section II: Distribution of nursing students with poly cystic ovarian syndrome:

The data were collected from 23 PCOS student which was obtained after screening of 387 students of Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing. This section deals with the analysis of data related to student diagnosed with PCOS, symptoms experienced, numbers of years nursing students have been diagnosed with PCOS and whether their mother and sister have similar symptoms of PCOS. The analysis of the data is computed using frequency and percentage which is depicted table.

Table 2: Frequency and percentage distribution of clinical Signs and symptoms of nursing students with PCOS N=387

Variables

Frequency

(f)

Percentage

(%)

Have you ever been diagnosed with PCOS

a. Yes

b. No

364

5.9

94.1

Number of years diagnosed with PCOS

a. 1-5 years

b. > 5 years

78.2

21.8

Mother / sister with similar symptoms

a. Yes

b. No

17.3

82.7

Figure 1 depicts frequency percentage distribution of signs and symptoms experienced by nursing students with PCOS, majority 16(69.5%) had mood swings, 16(69.5%) had weight gain, 14(60.8%) had irregular menses, 13(56.5%) had frequent lower back pain, 10(43.4%) had weakness, 10(43.4%) had hair loss, 8(34.7%) had excessive facial hair, 8(34.7%) had frequent headache and dizziness and 7(30.4%) had acne symptom.

Figure 1: Frequency percentage distribution of signs and symptoms experienced by nursing students with PCOS n=23

Section III: Distribution of quality of life among the nursing students with polycystic ovarian syndrome:

Quality of life was assessed by using WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organisation Quality of life-BREF). The WHOQOL-BREF has been developed to provide a short form quality of life assessment that looks at 4 domains level profile i.e., physical domain, psychological domain, social domain and environmental domain, using data from the pilot WHOQOL assessment. The WHOQOL-BREF assesses what an individual thinks about their life in the last two weeks.

Table 3. Frequency percentage distribution of quality of life of nursing students with poly cystic ovarian syndrome n=23

Quality of Life	Physical Health Domain		Psychological Domain		Social Relationships Domain		Environment Domain		Overall Quality of life
Quality of Life	F	%	f	%	f	%	f	%	f	%
Poor	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fair	4	17.4	6	26.1	4	17.4	0	0	2	8.7
Good	15	65.2	14	60.9	15	65.2	18	78.3	17	73.9
Very Good	4	17.4	3	13	4	17.4	5	21.7	4	17.4

The Table 3 illustrates the frequency percentage distribution of quality of life of nursing students with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

In physical health domain, majority 15(65.2%) had good quality of life, 4(17.4%) had fair quality of life and 4(17.4%) had very good quality of life.

In psychological domain, maximum 14(60.9%) had good quality of life, 6(26.1%) had fair quality of life and 3(13%) had very good quality of life.

In social relationship domain, maximum 15(65.2%) had good quality of life, 4(17.4%) had fair quality of life and 4(17.4%) had very good quality of life.

In environmental domain, maximum 18(78.3%) had good quality of life and 5(21.7%) had very good quality of life.

Overall quality of life of nursing students, majority 17(73.9%) had good quality of life, 4(17.4%) had very good quality of life and 2(8.7%) had fair quality of life.

The table 4 depicts the minimum score, maximum score, score range, median, mode, mean and standard deviation of domains of Quality of life of nursing students with PCOS.

Overall quality of life of nursing students, minimum score obtained was 194, maximum score was 382 with score range of 188, median of 264, mode was 250 with mean score 266.30, SD=42.35 and mean percentage was 62.5%.

DISCUSSION:

In the present study, quality of life of the students who were diagnosed with PCOS revealed that in physical health domain mean percentage was 69%, in psychological domain, mean percentage was 63%, in social relationship domain mean percentage was 69%, and in environmental domain mean percentage was 63%. All domain indicated good quality of life. This finding was contradicted by a study conducted by Diya Korampatta, Prakash Mangalasseri and Anitha K. Viswambharan on quality of life among 50 women with Polycystic Ovary. The study revealed that QOL was less than the mean value of 74% in the psychological domain and 68% in social domain and 62% each in physical and environmental domain indicating poor quality of life.¹⁰

The present study, signs and symptoms of the students who were diagnosed with PCOS were 16(69.5%) had mood swings, 16(69.5%) had weight gain, 14(60.8%) had irregular menses, 13(56.5%) had frequent lower back pain, 10(43.4%) had weakness, 10(43.4%) had hair loss, 8(34.7%) had excessive facial hair, 8(34.7%)had frequent headache 7(30.4%) had acne symptom, which is supported by a study conducted by Ramya and Sharon Ann Jose et al. to find out quality of life in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, among 173 women diagnosed with PCOS had sign and symptoms of irregular menstrual cycles (77%) hirsutism (48%) and weight gain (42%).¹¹

Women with PCOS usually suffer from chronic anovulation and hyper-androgenism, which are the main noticeable indicators associated with PCOS and it results in pregnancy problems.¹²

There was strong evidence where obesity increased severity of clinical manifestations of PCOS and the risk of metabolic dysfunction. In adolescents, as in adult women, there is a positive association between body mass index (BMI) and androgen levels. On the other hand, weight loss is associated with a decrease in testosterone.¹³

CONCLUSION:

Polycystic ovarian syndrome manifested by amenorrhoea hirsutism and obesity are associated with enlarged polycystic ovaries. PCOS causes irregular menstrual cycles, excessive body or facial hair and polycystic ovaries as its main symptoms. This sign and symptom affect the quality of life of the student.

The present study concluded that most of the student diagnosed with PCOS had good quality of life in all four domains i.e. Psychical health, Psychological, Social Relationship and Environmental Domain. The study indicates that student diagnosed with PCOS had good quality of life. However, awareness and health education amongst students is important to discuss the ill effects of PCOS and its implications in life at a later stage. Every student should be made aware of the importance of a healthy lifestyle to prevent complications in the near future.

FUNDING SOURCE:

The authors received no specific funding for this work.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

The author has no conflict of interest to declare for this study.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The authors would like to thank all the participant in this study and the families, friends, guides and teachers for their support during the study.

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Received on 05.11.2025 Revised on 04.12.2025

Accepted on 26.12.2025 Published on 30.04.2026

Available online from May 02, 2026

Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2026;16(2):81-85.

DOI: 10.52711/2349-2996.2026.00017

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.

Quality of Life	Minimum, maximum score	Range	Median	Mode	Mean	Standard Deviation	Mean %
Physical Health	38-94	56	69	69	64.87	12.40	69 %
Psychological Domain	31-94	63	63	63	62.91	14.18	63 %
Social Relationships Domain	31-100	69	69	69	69.09	16.58	69 %
Environment Domain	56-94	38	63	63	69.43	9.685	63 %
Overall	194-382	188	264	250	266.30	42.35	62.5 %