Limitations
Several limitations pertain to the study. First, Our study is a
cross-sectional design, and a multilevel model cannot assess the
stability of the latent profile over time. Future research should focus
on different time points after PCOS diagnosis and use latent transition
analysis on longitudinal data to examine latent profile changes
empirically. Second, the current study results are limited by our lack
of a more comprehensive and balanced sample of PCOS, such as PCOS women
(BMI<25) account for the vast majority of this study sample
(75.10%), with less than one-third (24.90%) was obese/overweight PCOS
women (BMI ≥ 25). Therefore, further research with a larger sample size
and a less heterogeneous population is needed. Third, we conducted this
study using data using an entire sample of a hospital in China,
compromising its generalizability to other regions and countries with
different cultural backgrounds. Fourth, excluding participants under 18
limited the data on adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome (under 18
years).