RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OVARIAN VOLUME AND INSULIN AND TESTOSTERONE SERUM VALUES IN POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

Abstract

PCOS is not a discrete disease but it is a rather a heterogeneous clinical syndrome characterized by a spectrum of symptomatology, pathology and laboratory findings. Although the underlying defects leading to the development of PCOS are not definitively elucidated, PCOS is rather the response of a number of abnormalities involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and a series of underlying metabolic abnormalities.

When any anovulatory state exists for any period of time, the polycystic ovary emerges. So many practitioners use ultrasound evidence of polycystic ovaries as a screening test for the syndrome but polycystic ovaries may sometimes be absent in women with all other classic clinical characteristics ofPCOS.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship of ultrasonographic ovarian morphology mainly the ovarian volume with the total serum testosterone, fasting insulin and insulin resistance values in 20 patients with PCOS.

These 20 PCOS infertile patients included in our study were subjected to full history taking, thorough clinical examination and specific investigations. These investigations included hormonal analysis, ultrasonography and hysterosalpingography and/or diagnostic laparoscopy.