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eLife  ·  28 August 2026  ·  From issue 28

Understanding pain in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome: health risks and treatment effectiveness

1 in 5 women with a common hormone disorder had pain linked to it.

Tess Cherlin, Stephanie Mohammed et al.

A common hormone disorder in women, once called polycystic ovary syndrome and now renamed, often causes pain that doctors overlook. Health records from over 103 million women showed that about 1 in 5 with this condition had pain, like painful periods or pelvic pain. Black and White women had the highest rates of pain. Women who took medicine for the condition had less pain afterward.

The number 20.67%

Share of women with the hormone condition who reported pain, out of over 103 million women studied.

Records-based study, not a clinical trial, so it cannot prove cause.

Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 29 August 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (eLife). Read the source

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