State health department sets up dedicated clinics for polycystic ovarian syndrome

Mumbai: State public health department has begun setting up dedicated clinics to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a common hormonal disorder affecting 10%-13% of women in the reproductive age.

Incidentally, PCOS was renamed on Tuesday at the global level as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).

“We started setting up clinics from May 6 onwards, with an aim to set them up at district hospitals, general hospitals, women’s hospitals, 100-bed sub-district hospitals as well as municipal corporation hospitals,” said a senior doctor from the health department. These clinics will function every Wednesday along with the existing menopause OPDs, which started in January.

PCOS causes irregular menstrual periods, weight gain, excess hair growth, acne and infertility. On Tuesday, renowned medical journal The Lancet carried a global consensus statement renaming the condition as PMOS to reflect that it is a complex, systemic metabolic and hormonal disorder rather than just a reproductive issue. Studies have shown that women with PCOS may be at higher risk for certain health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

The change, doctors hope, will reduce stigma, improve diagnosis rates, and highlight that many patients do not have ovarian cysts.

The PCOS/PMOS clinics in the state would help improve early diagnosis, treatment and counselling for women, according to Minister of state Meghna Bordikar.