Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Nowadays polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) appears to be one of the most common endocrine disorders that involves from 5 to 10% of women of reproductive age, reaching 75% in the structure of endocrine infertility. Furthermore the distribution of adipose tissue in android region correlates with the prognosis of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases development.

Aim of the study was to determine the type of obesity and to distinguish the characteristic features of it in women with PCOS.

Materials and methods: The study included 35 women suffering from PCOS (according Rotterdam criteria), 27 healthy women composed control group (statistically comparable). Besides the broad analyses of blood hormone levels, mechanical measuring of body volumes, applying exclusion criteria, all patients have undergone dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) ‘total body’ for body composition data.

Results: Hormone spectrum of PCOS patients was characterized by increased LH:FSH ratio (>2.5), testosterone levels, free androgen index, decreased sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) level. Progesterone confirmed absence of ovulation. BMI, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio didn’t differ in groups. Data got from DXA showed total amount of fat in grams, trunk fat amount in grams, gynoid region fat content was not statistically significant. However this parameter in percentage, fat content in android region, android:gynoid ratio in percentage statistically differed in PCOS patients (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Data of the study show PCOS patients have abdominal fat distribution. They demonstrated wider waist circumference (77.1±11.2 cm), higher percentage of total fat amount (37.9±3.0%) than in control group (R=0.846176; P<0.05). Furthermore LH and SHBG levels strongly correlated with total fat amount (R=0.820996; P<0.05 and R=0.90006; P<0.05 respectively). PCOS turned to be a multidisciplinary disorder that deserves particular attention of doctors and patients worldwide.