Title:Long-term Reproductive and Metabolic Consequences of PCOS
Volume: 8
Issue: 6
Author(s): Miriam Hudecova, Holte Jan, Berne Christian and Sundstrom Poromaa Inger
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Diabetes mellitus, Metabolic syndrome, Ovarian reserve, Polycystic ovary syndrome, Fecundity, Insulin sensitivity,
Early insulin response, Cardiovascular disease, oligomenorrhea, hyperandrogenism, hirsutism, metabolic consequences.
Abstract: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with reproductive and metabolic consequences. The review of
findings indicate that the long-term reproductive outcomes of women with PCOS are surprisingly similar compared to
women with normal ovaries, and that they have an ovarian reserve possibly superior to women with normal ovaries.
The typical features of PCOS, specifically the anovulatory cycles tend to normalize over time, but in spite of a decrease
over time, free androgen levels remain elevated compared to age-matched control subjects. Women with PCOS diagnosed
at young age continue to display reduced insulin sensitivity in the perimenopausal age, independent from phenotypic expression
of PCOS, both at diagnosis and at follow-up. Insulin resistance does not seem to deteriorate further, however.
Overall, the accumulated data from several European cohort studies of older women with a previous diagnosis of PCOS
suggest an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, increased prevalence of several features of the metabolic syndrome, but
no increased incidence of mortality from CVD.