NZ and Australia might have some of the highest PCOS rates in the world

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-10-23 15:00

Australia; New Zealand; International

Photo by courtney coles on Unsplash

International researchers have ranked New Zealand third highest in the world for rates of polycystic ovary syndrome, when accounting for age. They estimate more than 5% of Kiwi females are affected by the hormonal condition, which can cause irregular periods, fertility issues, acne, and excess facial hair. According to the researchers, Australia and New Zealand had a disease burden "significantly higher than expected." However, they say that women in much of the world have their PCOS systematically mis-diagnosed or not reported, meaning they may have underestimated the true rates around the world.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research Frontiers, Web page

Journal/
conference: Frontiers in Reproductive Health

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Shenzhen Longgang Second People’s Hospital, China

Funder: The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This study was sponsored and funded by the Shenzhen Longgang District Science and Technology Innovation Special Foundation (Project No. LGKCYLWS2022039 to Weiwei Zeng).

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.