Hypothyroidism in Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Comparative Study of Clinical Characteristics, Metabolic and Hormonal Parameters in Euthyroid and Hypothyroid Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Women
January 2016
in “
International journal of reproduction, contraception, obstetrics and gynecology
”
hypothyroidism polycystic ovarian syndrome PCOS hirsutism hair loss acanthosis nigricans acne insulin resistance obesity BMI LH FSH prolactin testosterone fasting blood glucose insulin serum DHEA HOMA thyroid hormone deficiency polycystic ovary syndrome excessive hair growth body mass index luteinizing hormone follicle-stimulating hormone dehydroepiandrosterone homeostatic model assessment
TLDR Hypothyroidism may worsen metabolic problems like insulin resistance and obesity in women with PCOS.
In a study comparing 102 euthyroid PCOS women with 18 hypothyroid PCOS women, researchers found that while the presence of hypothyroidism in PCOS patients did not significantly affect the association with hirsutism, excessive hair growth, hair loss, acanthosis nigricans, acne, or infertility, it did significantly increase the severity of insulin resistance and obesity. The hypothyroid PCOS group had a higher BMI and more complaints of weight gain, although levels of LH, FSH, LH:FSH ratio, prolactin, testosterone, fasting blood glucose, and insulin did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, serum DHEA levels were significantly lower and HOMA values, indicating insulin resistance, were significantly higher in the hypothyroid PCOS group. This suggests that hypothyroidism may exacerbate metabolic issues in PCOS patients.
