Bridging the Fertility Awareness Gap in Adolescents With PCOS
Bridging the Fertility Awareness Gap in Adolescents With PCOS https://pediatricsnationwide.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AdobeStock_96382195-1024x683.png 1024 683 Pam Georgiana Pam Georgiana https://pediatricsnationwide.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/May-2023.jpg- January 22, 2025
- Pam Georgiana

Assessing knowledge, concerns and quality of life to inform early clinical counseling
While polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is common in adolescent females, little is known about how the potential for long-term complications like infertility affect young patients’ well-being. Research with adult PCOS patients has found links between fertility challenges and diminished psychosocial well-being. However, there is little research on the fertility perspectives of adolescents with PCOS.
“As an endocrinologist who frequently sees adolescents with PCOS, I became concerned about how many of these individuals lacked awareness of their infertility risks,” says Hiba Salhah, MD, an endocrinologist in the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition and the Division of Endocrinology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “I wondered how widespread these awareness gaps were and whether insufficient information was causing distress in young patients.”
Dr. Salhah and her research team conducted a prospective study of 50 adolescents with PCOS and 50 healthy adolescents, all aged 13–21 and at least two years postmenarche. Participants completed paper or electronic surveys evaluating sociodemographics, hirsutism, fertility perspectives and quality of life. The findings were recently published in The Journal of Adolescent Health.
“We wanted to understand their awareness of potential fertility implications of PCOS, whether these issues worry them, and what information they want to prepare for the future,” explains Leena Nahata, MD, the founding medical director of the Fertility and Reproductive Health Program and the associate division chief for research for the Division of Endocrinology at Nationwide Children’s.
More than 70% of all participants expressed a desire for biological children, indicating no significant difference in parenthood aspirations between groups. However, adolescents with PCOS reported more significant concerns about future fertility, and yet, their fertility knowledge and perceived support did not differ significantly from the control group.
Notably, fewer than one-third of the PCOS patients knew about their heightened infertility risk. Only 25% reported that a health care provider informed them of this risk. Additionally, 72% expressed interest in receiving more fertility-related guidance. Despite these heightened concerns, no significant differences emerged in overall quality of life between the PCOS and control groups.
“Our findings suggest that most adolescents desire future parenthood. However, PCOS patients are juggling significant fertility worries and insufficient information about their increased infertility risk,” says Dr. Salhah. “There is work to be done to help young patients feel aware and prepared for future family planning.”
The research team encourages primary care providers, adolescent medicine specialists, endocrinologists and gynecologists address gaps in understanding and knowledge with young PCOS patients through proactive, tailored fertility counseling. Expanded health education can address patients’ current concerns and prevent the diminished psychosocial well-being often seen in adult PCOS patients. The team also recommends future longitudinal studies to clarify the long-term impact of early fertility counseling on this high-risk group.
“When we understand their perspectives, we can take informed steps to provide the right information in a timely manner to young patients living with PCOS,” concludes Dr. Nahata, who is also a professor of clinical pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
Reference:
Salhah H, Bonny A, Benedict J, Nahata L. Fertility Perspectives and Concerns in Adolescents With PCOS Compared to Controls. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2024 Nov;75(5):836-841.
About the author
Pam Georgiana is a brand marketing professional and writer located in Bexley, Ohio. She believes that words bind us together as humans and that the best stories remind us of our humanity. She specialized in telling engaging stories for healthcare, B2B services, and nonprofits using classic storytelling techniques. Pam has earned an MBA in Marketing from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
- Pam Georgianahttps://pediatricsnationwide.org/author/pam-georgiana/
- Pam Georgianahttps://pediatricsnationwide.org/author/pam-georgiana/
- Pam Georgianahttps://pediatricsnationwide.org/author/pam-georgiana/
- Pam Georgianahttps://pediatricsnationwide.org/author/pam-georgiana/
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