Polycystic ovary syndrome

PCOS is one of the commonest endocrinopathies in women, affecting 5–10% of women in the reproductive age worldwide.9 The prevalence tends to vary depending on ethnicity and the criteria used to define PCOS. In the United States, prevalence rates of 5–10% have been quoted. PCOS also appears to be commoner in MexicanAmerican than White or African-American women.10 It has also been reported that prevalence rates are higher in those with gestational diabetes,11 those who have premature adrenarche12 and in those with first-degree relatives who have PCOS.13 Prevalence data for PCOS in South Africans are not available.