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AIIMS Screening Estimates PCOS in 3-5% of Adolescent Girls
Doctors at AIIMS screened children in seven Delhi schools for PCOS.
They estimate that 3-5% of the adolescent girls screened may have it, but the results are preliminary and have not been published.
PCOS can affect hormones and the way the body handles energy.
Irregular periods and acne can also happen during normal puberty, so those signs alone do not prove a girl has PCOS.
Doctors use stricter rules for diagnosing it in teenagers and do not recommend ultrasound for this purpose.
PCOS can affect girls who are thin or a normal weight, too.
Doctors say healthy habits and follow-up can be helpful.
They also stress that symptoms can affect a teenager's confidence and emotional wellbeing.
An ongoing AIIMS school-screening programme estimates that 3-5% of the adolescent girls screened may have PCOS.
Since around 2023, the programme has covered more than 4,000 children at seven government and private schools in Delhi.
The preliminary findings have not yet been published.
Doctors caution that irregular periods and acne can be normal during puberty, making PCOS harder to diagnose in teenagers.
AIIMS doctors say PCOS can affect metabolic and psychological health, and that thin or normal-weight adolescents can also have the condition.
- Who
- Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the children screened at seven Delhi schools.
- What
- An ongoing school-based screening programme found preliminary evidence that an estimated 3-5% of adolescent girls screened may have PCOS.
- Where
- Seven government and private schools in Delhi.
- When
- The screening began around 2023; the findings are preliminary and remain unpublished.
- Why
- The programme is examining PCOS in adolescents, where symptoms can overlap with normal puberty and the condition may also involve metabolic and psychological health.
Key facts
- Estimated share
- 3-5% of adolescent girls screened may have PCOS, according to preliminary findings.
- Screening coverage
- More than 4,000 children.
- Schools
- Seven government and private schools.
- Location
- Delhi.
- Start
- Around 2023.
- Diagnostic guidance
- The 2023 recommendations look for persistent menstrual irregularity and evidence of excess androgen, while excluding other possible causes.
- Ultrasound
- Not recommended as a diagnostic tool for adolescent PCOS in the cited guidance.
Quotes
Dr Rajni Sharma
Professor in AIIMS’s Division of Pediatric Endocrinology
“PCOS affects not only the ovaries but also the endocrine and metabolic systems, so we need to look at the child as a whole and not just at menstrual irregularities”
NDTV
Sources
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