Health-related quality-of-life questionnaire for women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: a Sinhala translation and validation study

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is reported to have a greater negative impact on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of affected women. There are no studies conducts on HRQoL of women with PCOS in Sri Lanka, partly due to non-availability of a disease-specific, validated tool. Objective: The objective of the present study was to translate and evaluate the validity and reliability of the modified polycystic ovary syndrome health-related quality of life questionnaire (M - PCOSQ) among Sri Lankan women with PCOS. Materials and method: The M-PCOSQ was translated into Sinhala. The short-form Health Survey – Sinhala version (SF-36) and translated M-PCOSQ were completed by the sample. Their socio-demographic details were obtained and 10% of the sample completed M-PCOSQ 2 weeks later to assess test-retest reliability. Results: The mean age of the included total sample was 27.13. All six domains of M-PCOSQ had high intra-class correlation coefficients (range 0.97 – 0.99, p < o.01) demonstrating excellent test-retest reliability. Cronbach’s alpha was ≥ 0.67 for four of six domains indicating satisfactory internal consistency. Construct validity was observed by the high correlation between emotion subscale of M-PCOSQ and emotional well-being scale of SF- 36 (r=0.63, p< 0.01). Conclusion: M-PCOSQ-Sinhala version is a valid and reliable tool to measure HRQoL of PCOS women.