Inappropriate gonadotropin secretion in polycystic ovary syndrome: The relationship with clinical, hormonal and metabolic characteristics

Abstract

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical, hormonal and metabolic characteristics according to luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) ratio in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). MethodsA total of 225 women with PCOS were included in this study. They were divided into two groups according to LH/FSH ratio; group A (LH/FSH < 2, n=160) and group B (LH/FSH > 2, n=65). We compared clinical, hormonal and metabolic characteristics including age at menarche, body mass index (BMI), blood pressures, ovarian volume, and serum androgen levels between the two groups. Serum glucose and insulin levels, fasting glucose/insulin ratio, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and lipid profi les were also compared between the two groups. Pearson correlation coeffi cients were used to evaluate correlation between the LH/FSH ratio and various parameters. ResultsAge of menarche in the group B was signifi cantly later than that in the group A. BMI, waist-hip ratio and blood pressures were signifi cantly lower in the group B compared to those of the group A. Ovarian volume and serum levels of LH, estradiol, total testosterone, sex-hormone binding globulin, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (OHP), and high density lipoprotein were signifi cantly higher in the group B. Postprandial 2 hours glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR were signifi cantly higher in the group A. After adjustment of BMI, the LH/FSH ratio was signifi cantly positively correlated with age at menarche, ovarian volume, total testosterone levels, and 17-OHP levels. ConclusionThe inappropriate gonadotropin secretion may be negatively correlated with BMI, and positively with age of menarche and increased ovarian androgen production irrespective of BMI in women with PCOS. However, it may not be associated with metabolic characteristics.

Association between serum gonadotropin level and insulin resistance-related parameters in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome

“…Sikka et al [25] reported that ovarian volume positively correlates with the LH/FSH ratio and WHR, and their finding is partially consistent with our results. In contrast, a previous study conducted in Korea [16] reported that WHR was significantly lower in PCOS women with LH/FSH ratios >2, and this finding differs from the results of our study. In the present study, no significant difference was observed in BMI among the three groups.…”

“…However, after adjustments for age and BMI, a correlation between the total cholesterol level and the LH/FSH ratio was observed. Our finding is in disagreement with the results of Shim et al [16], which reported that the high density lipoprotein level, not the total cholesterol level, was significantly different according to the LH/FSH ratio. It is hard to explain the rationale of the relationship between the total cholesterol level and LH/FSH ratio in the present study.…”

“…In the current study, we categorized all participants into three groups according to the LH/FSH ratio: group 1 (LH/FSH ratio <1.0), group 2 (1.0≤ LH/FSH ratio <2.0), and group 3 (LH/FSH ratio ≥2.0). In this study, participants with higher LH/FSH ratios showed higher total antral follicle counts and larger total ovarian volume, and these findings are in agreement with those of previous studies [1516222324]. …”

“…In the present study, no significant difference was observed in BMI among the three groups. This finding is in conflict with that reported previously where a negative correlation between the LH/FSH ratio and BMI was shown [616]; however, it is consistent with the results observed by Carmina et al [26]. In our study, no statistically significant differences were observed in the biochemical parameters among the three groups.…”

“…A number of studies have investigated the association between serum anti-Müllerian hormone level and insulin resistance-related parameters [12131415]; however, to date, few studies have evaluated the association between serum LH level and insulin resistance with respect to PCOS [1617]. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge no studies have assessed the relationship between serum gonadotropin level and postprandial glucose level at 1 hour (PPG1).…”