title: Sustained fertility from 22 to 41 years of age in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Subfertility due to chronic anovulation is common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and is often treated with IVF. Women with PCOS have an increased ovarian follicle and oocyte count, increased ovarian reserve and/or a slower rate of follicle atresia. If so, one would expect women with PCOS to display a delayed reduction in fertility with advancing age as compared with eumenorrheic women.
  
  
  METHODS
  To test this hypothesis, we compared oocyte count and live birth rates among two groups undergoing IVF, 500 women with PCOS and 500 eumenorrheic women with infertility due to tubal factor only.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Across the age range of 22-41 years, oocyte count and live birth rates remained stable in women with PCOS. In the eumenorrheic comparison group, these parameters decreased significantly with age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women with PCOS display sustained fertility with advancing age as compared with infertile eumenorrheic women.
authors: Section for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Gynecology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. jan.mellembakken@rikshospitalet.no
authors: Jan R
authors: JR
authors: Mellembakken
authors: Sarah L
authors: SL
authors: Berga
authors: Mirjam
authors: M
authors: Kilen
authors: Tom G
authors: TG
authors: Tanbo
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Abyholm
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Fedorcsák
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001723:Birth Rate; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000502:physiology*; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D054315:Oocyte Retrieval; D009865:Oocytes / Q000473:pathology; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy