Relationships Between Biochemical Markers of Hyperandrogenism and Metabolic Parameters in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

January 2019 in “ Hormone and Metabolic Research ”

Mina Amiri, Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani, Razieh Bidhendi Yarandi, Samira Behboudi‐Gandevani, Fereidoun Azizi, Enrico Carmina

hyperandrogenism polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS testosterone free testosterone androstenedione A4 dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate DHEAS LDL-C HDL-C triglycerides metabolic parameters LDL cholesterol HDL cholesterol

TLDR Measuring certain hormones can help predict metabolic risk in women with PCOS.

This systematic review and meta-analysis, which included 33 studies with 9,905 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), investigated the relationships between biochemical markers of hyperandrogenism and metabolic parameters. The study found that total testosterone was not significantly associated with metabolic parameters after adjusting for age and BMI, but it was linked to changes in LDL-C, HDL-C, and systolic blood pressure. Free testosterone showed a significant positive association with fasting insulin and a negative association with HDL-C. Androstenedione (A4) was positively associated with triglycerides and negatively with total cholesterol and LDL-C. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) was positively associated with LDL-C and negatively with HDL-C. These findings suggested that measuring these androgenic and metabolic parameters could help predict metabolic risk in PCOS patients.

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