Young women referred for polycystic ovary syndrome (now called PMOS) have alarmingly high rates of liver steatosis, with 42% affected in a new study. Even more concerning: the standard screening tools used to detect liver fibrosis missed up to 83% of cases. Researchers say better, age-appropriate screening strategies are urgently needed for this population.
A new cross-sectional study of 95 young women referred to an endocrinology clinic for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS — formerly PCOS) found that 42% had liver steatosis, as detected by FibroScan. Notably, high steatosis rates were seen regardless of whether women had a confirmed PMOS diagnosis, suggesting the liver disease risk extends broadly across this referred population.
The findings also raised red flags about current screening tools. The widely used Fibrosis-4 score detected liver fibrosis with only 17% sensitivity, missing 5 of 6 fibrosis cases. A newer Stanford-developed tool, the Steatosis-Associated Fibrosis Estimator, fared only slightly better at 40% sensitivity — still missing 3 of 5 cases. Experts are calling for age-appropriate fibrosis screening strategies tailored to younger women.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: PMOS affects millions of women of reproductive age, and this study reveals they may be silently developing serious liver disease. With current screening tools falling short, clinicians need to rethink how — and how early — they screen for liver complications in this group.
