Endocrine Abstracts

The possible role of inhibin in the etiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is controversial. This study was designed to investigate levels of serum inhibin in women with PCOS.

In a case-control setting 41 women with PCOS and 44 women with normal cycles (control group) aged 15–40 year-old were evaluated. Mean age of cases and controls was 23.6±5.3 and 23.1±3.9 years, respectively. Mean body mass index (BMI) in cases and controls were 25.07±5.45 and 21.3±3 2.46 Kg/m², respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in mean age between the two groups (P>0.05) but mean BMI was significantly different between the two groups (P<0.001). Mean serum levels of inhibin in cases and controls were 1.62±1.23 and 2.26±2.26 U/ml, respectively which was not significantly different between the two groups (P: 0.16).

We concluded that basal inhibin levels cannot be used for routine screening in women with PCOS.