title: Polycystic ovary syndrome patients with high BMI tend to have functional disorders of androgen excess: a prospective study.
abstract: Biochemical or clinical changes of hyperandrogenism are important elements of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). There is currently no consensus on the definition and diagnostic criteria of hyperandrogenism in PCOS. The aim of this study was to investigate the complex symptoms of hyperandrogenic disorders and the correlations between metabolism and hyperandrogenism in patients with PCOS from an outpatient reproductive medicine clinic in China. We conducted a case control study of 125 PCOS patients and 130 controls to evaluate differences in body mass index (BMI), total testosterone (TT), modified Ferriman-Gallwey hirsutism score, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and free androgen index (FAI) between PCOS patients and controls and subgroups of PCOS. The prevalence of acne and hirsutism did not differ significantly between the hyperandrogenic and non-hyperandrogenic subgroup. Patients with signs of hyperandrogenism had significantly higher BMI (P < 0.05), but differences in TT, SHBG, FAI and waist/hip ratio were insignificant. The odds ratio of overweight was calculated for all PCOS patients. Our results suggest that PCOS patients with high BMI tend to have functional disorders of androgen excess; therefore, BMI may be a strong predictor of hyperandrogenism in PCOS.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210036, China.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210036, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoqiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210036, China.
authors.forename: Yundong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210036, China.
authors.forename: Feiyang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diao
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210036, China.
authors.forename: Yugui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210036, China. jyliu_nj@126.com.
authors.forename: Jiayin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
keywords: diagnostic criteria; long-term weight; obesity; polycystic ovary syndrome; reproductive health