POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME RESEARCH IN PUBMED (2004-2023): A SCIENTOMETRIC MAPPING WITH REFERENCE TO AYURVEDA

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most prevalent endocrine-metabolic disorders, affecting approximately 8-13% of women of reproductive age worldwide. In recent decades, PCOS has attracted growing research interest across biomedical as well as traditional and integrative medical systems, including Ayurveda. The present study analyzed 16,590 global publications on PCOS indexed in the PubMed database from 2004 to 2023. Objectives: To assess the growth pattern and global distribution of PCOS-related literature; to analyze publication output across broad subject areas; and to evaluate research trends related to Ayurveda and integrative medicine in the field of PCOS.

Results: A total of 16,590 research articles on PCOS were published during 2004-2023, showing an overall growth rate of 430.49%. China ranked first in terms of total publication output (3,470 documents), followed by the United States. The majority of studies were conducted on human subjects (13,033 records). Analysis of highly influential publications revealed a recent shift toward biomarker identification and molecular translational research over the past three years. In the Indian context, PubMed indexed 21 publications related to Ayurveda in PCOS, predominantly comprising clinical trials and case reports, reflecting emerging interest in traditional and integrative therapeutic approaches.