Clinical and metabolic characteristics of polycystic ovary syndrome without polycystic ovary: a pilot study on Chinese women

Objective: To demonstrate clinical features of a patient subgroup presenting with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) without polycystic ovary morphology. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Hospital-based IVF center. Patient(s): In the present study, 876 PCOS patients were selected from women who visited the Reproductive Medicine Center at Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, between September 2004 and October 2006. Women with PCOS were divided into two groups based on ultrasound image: group A, PCOS patients with classic polycystic ovary (n = 800); group B, PCOS patients without polycystic ovary morphology (n = 76). The following available data were analyzed in the large cohort of women: body height, weight, waistline, hip circumference, hirsutism scores, family history, serum sex hormone levels, blood glucose levels, insulin levels, and blood lipid levels. Intervention(s): An oral glucose tolerance test and insulin release test were performed for each woman. After overnight fasting, blood samples were collected to determine fasting blood glucose, LH, FSH, T, PRL, E-2, and blood lipid levels. Main Outcome Measure(s): Height, weight, waistline, hip circumference, Ferriman-Gallwey grade for hirsutism, gonadal hormone results, blood lipid level, blood glucose tolerance, each-moment insulin level, and family history were determined for the two groups. Result(s): No statistical difference was observed between groups in age, body height and weight, waistline, hip circumference, FSH, LH, PRL, E-2, each-moment blood glucose, and each-moment insulin. There were significantly higher hirsutism scores (6.31 +/- 6.44 vs. 4.18 +/- 4.96) and serum T levels (80.71 +/- 17.89 vs. 66.35 +/- 33.31) in group B than in group A. Cholesterol (4.99 +/- 1.01 vs. 4.70 +/- 0.91) and low-density lipoprotein (3.59 +/- 1.17 vs. 3.03 +/- 1.10) were both significantly higher in group B than in group A. In addition, significantly higher rates of diabetes mellitus and hypertension were observed in patients' first-grade relatives in group B than in group A. Conclusion(s): Patients with PCOS without polycystic ovaries had higher cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein and possibly had a higher incidence of developing long-term complications.