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PCOS during the menopausal transition and after menopause: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Millán-de-Meer M, Luque-Ramírez M, Nattero-Chávez L, Escobar-Morreale HF

Human reproduction update, 2023

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Current knowledge about the consequences of PCOS during the late reproductive years and after menopause is limited.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of data on the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of women ≥45 years of age-peri- or postmenopausal-with PCOS.

SEARCH METHODS: Studies published up to 15 April 2023, identified by Entrez-PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus online facilities, were considered. We included cross-sectional or prospective studies that reported data from peri- or postmenopausal patients with PCOS and control women with a mean age ≥45 years. Three independent researchers performed data extraction. Meta-analyses of quantitative data used random-effects models because of the heterogeneity derived from differences in study design and criteria used to define PCOS, among other confounding factors. Sensitivity analyses restricted the meta-analyses to population-based studies, to studies including only patients diagnosed using the most widely accepted definitions of PCOS, only menopausal women or only women not submitted to ovarian surgery, and studies in which patients and controls presented with similar indexes of weight excess. Quality of evidence was assessed using the GRADE system.

OUTCOMES: The initial search identified 1400 articles, and another six were included from the reference lists of included articles; 476 duplicates were deleted. We excluded 868 articles…

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