Endocrine Abstracts

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate hormonal disturbances and adipokines levels in girls with oligomenorrhea.

Materials and methods: The study comprised a group of 46 girls, aged 16–18 years, who were diagnosed with oligomenorrhea, and a control group with 37 healthy girls, aged 16–18 years, with no diagnosed menstrual disorders. In the first stage of the study, all girls had their medical history assessed. Subsequently, anthropometric measurements (height, weight) were measured, severity of hirsutism -according to the Ferriman-Gallwey score – was assessed and a pelvic ultrasound was conducted. In the blood serum, the following parameters were determined: LH, FSH, estriadol, TSH, SHBG, total and free testosterone, androstenedione, DHEA-S, prolactin, insulin and glucose. Assessment of adipokines in plasma included: leptin, adiponectin and apelin-36. Insulin resistance was assessed using the indirect method, setting HOMA-IR and on the basis of a standard model, free androgen index (FAI) was also calculated.

Results: The incidence of hyperprolactinemia in the study group is 32%, while there was no disturbance among any of the girls from the control group. Furthermore, among the group of girls with oligomenorrhea, a significantly greater increase in clinical symptoms of hyperandrogenism was observed – hirsutism, assessed according to the Ferriman-Gallwey scale, as compared to the control group (P=0.048). Full-blown PCOS was diagnosed in 6.52% of the girls from the study group, whereas none of the patients from the control group met all the criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in plasma concentrations of leptin, adiponectin and apelin-36 between the study and control groups.

Conclusions: Hormonal disorders such as hyperprolactinemia, hyperandrogenaemia and PCOS are more frequently diagnosed in girls with oligomenorrhea. In girls with oligomenorrhea, elevated levels of leptin and decreased levels of adiponectin may be considered as new biomarkers for insulin resistance and hyperandrogenaemia.