To Study Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Taiwanese Women
To Study Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Taiwanese Women
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an extremely common disorder in women of reproductive
 age. Diagnosis of PCOS is principally based on clinical and physical findings. Diagnostic
 criteria and PCOS definitions used by clinicians and researchers are almost as heterogeneous
 as the syndrome. Of those diagnosed with PCOS using the 2003 Rotterdam criteria, 61%
 fulfilled 1990 NIH criteria for unexplained hyperandrogenic chronic anovulation. The patient
 populations with the new phenotypes had less severe ovulatory dysfunction and less androgen
 excess than patients diagnosed using the 1990 NIH criteria. These findings might be common
 across all female populations with PCOS, whether in Oriental or Occidental countries. Data
 for clinical hyperandrogenism indicated that the prevalence of hirsutism in Taiwanese PCOS
 women is lower than that for Caucasians/Western women.

 The extent of metabolic abnormalities in women with PCOS may vary with phenotype, age and
 ethnicity. Obesity represents a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome and insulin
 resistance. Approximately 40-50% of all women with PCOS are overweight or obese. Obese
 subjects with PCOS had a higher risk of developing oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea and biochemical
 hyperandrogenemia than non-obese women with PCOS. Moreover, obese women with PCOS had
 significantly more severe insulin resistance, lower serum LH levels, and lower LH-to-FSH
 ratios than non-obese women with PCOS. PCOS women in Taiwan presented with higher LH-to-FSH
 ratio and lower insulin resistance than PCOS women in Western Countries. However, the average
 body mass index (BMI) was significantly lower in Taiwanese PCOS women than Western women,
 which might partially explain the difference between these two populations in terms of
 clinical and biochemical presentations.

 To further document the ethnic variation between women with PCOS in Taiwan and Western, the
 effect of obesity on the diagnosis and clinical presentations of PCOS-related syndromes
 should not be neglected in future studies. Therefore, the investigators plan to do this
 prospective study for evaluation the clinical and biochemical presentation of Taiwanese women
 with PCOS.
1. Method

 1. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Wan Fang Medical Center
 at Taipei Medical University (WF99041, approved August 2010) and performed at the
 Reproductive Endocrinology Clinic at the Wan Fang Medical Center from 31 August 2010 to
 31 August 2011. The following women were excluded: (i) women who had been diagnosed with
 hyperprolactinemia, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, premature ovarian failure, congenital
 adrenal hyperplasia, androgen-secreting tumor,Cushing's syndrome, disorders of the
 uterus and chromosomal anomalies; (ii) women who were less than three years past
 menarche or who were older than 45 years; (iii) women who received hormones or
 medication for major medical diseases (diabetes or cardiovascular disease); and (iv)
 women who had had ovarian cysts or ovarian tumors identified by ultrasonographic
 examination.

 2. Statistical analysis: We used chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests to perform
 categorical comparisons and ANOVA to compare the continuous variables. The means of more
 than two groups were compared using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Dunnett's t-test with
 equal variances not assumed.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  women at reproductive age

 -  women with PCOS and women without PCOS.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  young women who had their menarche less than 3 years

 -  women older than 45 years old, Amenorrhea of menopause, hyperglycemia,
 hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, heart failure, lung failure, renal failure, anemia,
 dystrophy, gonitis.