body image satisfaction and self-esteem status among the patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

background: most previous research has focused on polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) characteristics and their association with psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression. objective: in the present study, our aim was to study whether pcos characteristics are associated with several aspects of psychological well-being namely self-esteem and body satisfaction. materials and methods: this was a cross-sectional study of 300 women with pcos that was carried out in kashan, iran. main outcome measures were the body image concern inventory (bici) and the rosenberg’s self-esteem scale and clinical information of pcos. major clinical pcos features including obesity (bmi), excessive body hair (hirsutism score), acne, menstrual cycle disturbances and infertility. results: the findings of regression analysis indicated that infertile women had lower levels of self-esteem (=-0.11, p=0.049) and poorer body satisfaction (=0.121, p=0.036) compared with pcos women without infertility. furthermore, hirsute women experienced poorer self-esteem than women without hirsutism (=-0.124, p=0.032). women with menstrual irregularities had higher body dissatisfaction (=0.159, p=0.005). moreover, women with higher body mass index scores had poorer body satisfaction (=0.151, p=0.009) but were not associated with self-esteem. conclusion: the emotional well-being of the patients presenting with the syndrome needs to be recognized more fully, particularly in relation to the low self-esteem, poor body image, and struggles with weight, menstrual irregularities, hirsutism and infertility. the results of this study raise implications for clinical practice and suggest that a multidisciplinary approach to the management of women with pcos.