title: Metabolic Features Across the Female Life Span in Women with PCOS.
abstract: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a highly prevalent endocrine metabolic disorder and is presently considered a family pathology. It is associated with obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Racial, ethnic and environmental factors may be important in determining the clinical manifestations of this syndrome. Polycystic ovary syndrome is an exclusion diagnosis and, therefore, should be distinguished from the physiological changes typical for the age and from other hyperandrogenic disorders. Early diagnosis is important since this syndrome is associated with reproductive, oncologic and metabolic risks. Interestingly, the clinical features of this disorder may change throughout the lifespan of a PCOS woman, starting from adolescence to postmenopausal age. During the first decades of life the main features are in the reproductive area, while later in life metabolic abnormalities are more evident. While the assessment of insulin resistance is not part of the diagnosis of PCOS, it has been demonstrated that this metabolic component appears early in life and persists over time. Moreover during puberty and pregnancy, insulin resistance is exacerbated. Pregnancy represents an important stage, as the offspring of these patients may be reprogrammed and inherit some of the metabolic and reproductive features of their mothers. In the present review, we will focus on several metabolic aspects of the PCOS condition at different stages of life in a Chilean population.
authors: Laboratory of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine West Division, School of Medicine, Carlos Schachtebeck N 299, Interior Quinta Normal, Casilla 33052, Correo 33, Santiago, Chile. tsir@med.uchile.cl.
authors: Teresa
authors: T
authors: Sir-Petermann
authors: Bárbara
authors: B
authors: Echiburú
authors: Nicolás
authors: N
authors: Crisosto
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Maliqueo
authors: Francisco Pérez
authors: FP
authors: Bravo
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008017:Life Expectancy; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*