Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Is Associated with Increased Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Poor Life Quality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) seriously affects the reproductive health of women. Several studies have been conducted to show that POI appears to be associated with psychological and psychosocial problems, but whether POI increases the risk of mental health problems has not been identified. Therefore, this meta-analysis provides a preliminary systematic assessment of the studies published to date on the impact of POI on women’s mental health.

Methods: We implemented a systematic search for studies on this topic up to October 2022. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confident intervals (CIs) of prevalence were used to assess the impacts of POI on various psychological factors, and the publication bias was assessed by Egger’s test.

Results: A total of 15 articles comprising 5820 participants were included in this metaanalysis. POI was found to be related to higher risk of 13 psychological and psychosocial problems identified and classified into 3 domains: depression (OR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.11-2.33), anxiety (OR=3.74; 95% CI: 1.78-7.87), and poor life quality (OR=2.55, 95% CI: 1.63-3.97).

Conclusion: This meta-analysis reveals that women with POI have an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and poor life quality. The marital status of POI may be a possible influencing factor for depression, meaning that the unmarried status in POI is at high risk of psychological and psychosocial problems. We should pay attention to the mental health of women with POI who were unmarried.

Cite this article as: Tian Y, Zhang X, Xin Z, et al. Premature ovarian insufficiency is associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety and poor life quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Alpha Psychiatry. 2024;25(2):132-141.