Androgen Profile in Chinese Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Their Reproductive Years

    Zehong Zhou, Rong Li, Jie Qiao
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    TLDR Chinese women with PCOS have higher androgen levels, which change with age and weight.
    The study investigated the androgen levels in 833 Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) aged 19-45 and compared them to a control group of 2732 women. Results showed that women with PCOS had higher levels of total testosterone, androstenedione, and free androgen index (FAI), with these levels varying with age. A negative correlation between age and androgen levels was observed in the control group, while in women with PCOS, androstenedione decreased with age, but total testosterone and FAI increased, especially in the 40-45 age group. After adjusting for body mass index (BMI), age was negatively correlated with FAI and androstenedione, and positively with SHBG. The study suggested that weight management is crucial for women with PCOS and recommended the use of FAI assays in China. A cut-off value of 5.9 for FAI was determined to diagnose hyperandrogenemia, with 1.9% of the control population potentially being diagnosed with PCOS using this threshold. The study's limitations included its cross-sectional design and the use of chemiluminescence for testosterone assays, but it was strengthened by its large, homogeneous sample size and nationwide scope.
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