Effect of growth hormone suppression on the serum levels of ovarian and adrenal sex steroid hormones in normal women and in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

ABSTRACT Context Despite the high prevalence of hyperandrogenemia, the principal biochemical abnormality in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a definitive endocrine marker for PCOS has so far not been identified. Objective To identify a tentative diagnostic marker for PCOS, we compared serum levels of sex steroids, their precursors, and main metabolites in women with PCOS and controls. Design and Methods In this cross-sectional study of 74 women with PCOS and 31 controls, we used gas and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to analyze serum sex steroid precursors, estrogens, androgens, and glucuronidated androgen metabolites; performed immunoassays of SHBG, LH, and FSH; and calculated the LH/FSH ratio. Results Androgens and estrogens, sex steroid precursors, and glucuronidated androgen metabolites were higher in women with PCOS than in controls. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, estrone and free testosterone were independently associated with PCOS. The odds ratios per sd increase were 24.2 for estrone [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.0-144.7] and 12.8 for free testosterone (95% CI, 3.1-53.4). In receiver operating characteristic analyses, the area under curve was 0.93 for estrone (95% CI, 0.88-0.98) and 0.91 for free testosterone (95% CI, 0.86-0.97), indicating high sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion Women with PCOS have elevated levels of sex steroid precursors, estrogens, androgens, and glucuronidated androgen metabolites as measured with a specific and sensitive mass spectrometry-based technique. The combination of elevated estrone (>50 pg/ml) and free testosterone (>3.3 pg/ml) appeared to discriminate with high sensitivity and specificity between women with and without PCOS.

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Dysglycemia, Not Altered Sex Steroid Hormones, Affects Cognitive Function in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Journal of the Endocrine Society ◽

10.1210/js.2019-00112 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (10) ◽

pp. 1858-1868 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Brittany Y Jarrett ◽

Natalie Vantman ◽

Reid J Mergler ◽

Eric D Brooks ◽

Roger A Pierson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽

Steroid Hormones ◽

Polycystic Ovary ◽

Sex Steroid ◽

Metabolic Abnormalities ◽

Visuospatial Ability ◽

Ovary Syndrome ◽

Control Subjects

Abstract Context Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine condition characterized by multiple reproductive and metabolic abnormalities. Because individual reproductive and metabolic abnormalities modulate working memory in the general population, there is growing interest in whether cognitive function is dually and negatively affected in PCOS. Objective To examine the association of reproductive and metabolic features with cognitive function in women with and without PCOS. Design An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at an academic clinical research center in North America between 2006 and 2009. Common tests of working memory (i.e., manual dexterity, perceptual speed, and visuospatial ability) were performed by women with PCOS (n = 40) and control subjects (n = 40). Markers of sex steroid hormones, ovulatory function, and cardiometabolic health were also assessed. Results Reduced visuospatial ability was observed in women with PCOS compared with control subjects (P < 0.01). Reduced visuospatial ability was linked to higher levels of hemoglobin A1c in the entire study cohort, independent of body mass index or PCOS status. No associations were observed between visuospatial ability and reproductive features, after controlling for confounding variables. Conclusion Our findings support a role for glycemic control, and not PCOS per se, in cognitive dysfunction in women of reproductive age. Additional studies are needed to understand the short- and long-term effects of dysglycemia on brain health in women with PCOS, given their increased propensity for metabolic comorbidities, compared with control subjects.

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Increased growth hormone response to clonidine in nonobese normoinsulinemic patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Fertility and Sterility ◽

10.1016/j.fertnstert.2003.05.027 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 81 (1) ◽

pp. 108-113 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

F Comim

Keyword(s):

Growth Hormone ◽

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽

Polycystic Ovary ◽

Growth Hormone Response ◽

Hormone Response ◽

Ovary Syndrome

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Urinary bisphenol A in women with polycystic ovary syndrome – a possible suppressive effect on steroidogenesis?

Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation ◽

10.1515/hmbci-2020-0032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Zora Lazúrová ◽

Jana Figurová ◽

Beáta Hubková ◽

Jana Mašlanková ◽

Ivica Lazúrová

Keyword(s):

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽

Bisphenol A ◽

Steroid Hormones ◽

Polycystic Ovary ◽

Suppressive Effect ◽

Human Reproduction ◽

Control Group ◽

Ovary Syndrome ◽

Ovarian Steroidogenesis ◽

The Relationship

Abstract Objectives There is a growing evidence indicating an impact of endocrine distrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) on human reproduction. Its higher levels in serum or urine have been documented in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), however the relationship to ovarian steroidogenesis remains unclear. Aim of the study was to compare urinary BPA (U-BPA) concentrations among PCOS women and control group. Second aim was to assess the relationship of U-BPA to ovarian steroidogenesis in the group with PCOS. Methods Eighty six Caucasian women (age 28.5 ± 5.1 years) diagnosed with PCOS and 32 controls of age 24.9 ± 4.4 years were included in the study. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for biochemical parameters and steroid hormones. U-BPA was measured in the morning urine sample using high pressure liquid chromatography. Results PCOS women had significantly higher U-BPA as compared with control group (p=0.0001). Those with high levels of U-BPA (U-BPA ≥2.14 ug/g creatinine) demonstrated higher serum insulin (p=0.029) and HOMA IR (p=0.037), lower serum estrone (p=0.05), estradiol (p=0.0126), FSH (p=0.0056), and FAI (p=0.0088), as compared with low-BPA group (U- BPA <2.14 ug/g creatinine). In PCOS women, U-BPA positively correlated with age (p=0.0026; R2=0.17), negatively with estradiol (p=0.0001, R2=0.5), testosterone (p=0.0078, R2=0.15), free-testosterone (p=0.0094, R2=0.12) and FAI (p=0.0003, R2=0.32), respectively. Conclusions PCOS women have significantly higher U-BPA concentrations than healthy controls. U-BPA positively correlates with age and negatively with ovarian steroid hormones suggesting a possible suppressive effect of bisphenol A on ovarian steroidogenesis.

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Physical Performance Regarding Handgrip Strength in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1718953 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (12) ◽

pp. 811-819

Author(s):

Gislaine Satyko Kogure ◽

Victor Barbosa Ribeiro ◽

Flávia Ganoa de Oliveira Gennaro ◽

Rui Alberto Ferriani ◽

Cristiana Libardi Miranda-Furtado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽

Physical Performance ◽

Lean Mass ◽

Polycystic Ovary ◽

Handgrip Strength ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Total Testosterone ◽

Dominant Hand ◽

Ovary Syndrome ◽

Pcos Group

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to investigate the physical performance of handgrip strength (HGS) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods A case-control study that included 70 women with PCOS and 93 age-matched healthy women aged between 18 and 47 years with body mass index (BMI) between 18 Kg/m2–39.9 Kg/m2. The serum levels of total testosterone, androstenedione, insulin, estradiol, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) were measured. The free androgen index (FAI) and the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were calculated. The body composition regions of interest (ROIs) were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and the handgrip strength (HGS) was evaluated for both the dominant and the non-dominant hands with a manual Sammons Preston (Bolingbrook, IL, US) bulb dynamometer. Results Women with PCOS had high serum levels of total testosterone (p < 0.01), androstenedione (p = 0.03), and insulin (p < 0.01), as well as high FAI (p < 0.01) and HOMA-IR (p = 0.01) scores. Compared with the non-PCOS group, the PCOS group had greater total lean mass in the dominant hand (p < 0.03) and greater HGS in both the dominant and the non-dominant hands (p < 0.01). The HGS was correlated with lean mass (p < 0.01). Conclusion Women with PCOS have greater HGS. This may be associated with age and BMI, and it may be related to lean mass. In addition, the dominance effect on muscle mass may influence the physical performance regarding HGS in women with PCOS.

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