Ovarian Morphology and Doppler Vascular Patterns in Women with and Without Polycystic Ovarian syndrome: Associations with Body Mass Index

Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is currently considered as being one of the most widespread endocrine and metabolic diseases in the reproductive age women across the world. It is approximated that about 116 million women worldwide with a proportion of some 3.4 of the total number of women is affected by PCOS. Methods: A total of 145 female participants took part in this case-control study, including 105 cases with PCOS and 40 controls, and they were recruited in a number of private clinical centers in Erbil Governorate within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The data gathering was done over a span of time, which is between June 2024 and November 2025. Measurements of height, body weight, hip circumference, waist circumference, and body mass index were taken during a comprehensive physical examination. Results: The statistically significant difference between the PCOS and non-PCOS groups was established based on the body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.034). There was also a significant difference in the anthropometric measures of various measurements used in the two groups. To be exact, the BMI in the PCOS group was considerably more than in the non-PCOS one (p = 0.002. Moreover, the volumes of both right and left ovaries were also found to be much higher in partakers of PCOS than those without the condition (p = 0.001). bilateral ovarian volume, bilateral FNPO, and FDP, none of the investigated variables demonstrated a statistically significant independent association with the outcome. RI and PI measurements were not statistically significant independent predictors of the outcome in this multivariable logistic regression model. Among the variables examined, PI left showed the strongest positive association (OR = 21.127, p = 0.066) Conclusion: This study demonstrated that women with PCOS had higher BMI values and were more likely to present with clinical features such as irregular menstrual cycles, acne, and hirsutism compared with non-PCOS women. Ultrasonographic assessment showed significant differences in ovarian morphology, including ovarian volume and follicle number, and in selected Doppler vascular parameters between the PCOS and non-PCOS groups. However, ovarian morphology and Doppler indices did not demonstrate significant independent associations in multivariable analyses.