Insulin Resistance and Obesity Among Infertile Women With Different Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Phenotypes
July 2017
in “
Scientific Reports
”
TLDR Women with PCOS are more likely to have insulin resistance and obesity, especially those with the most severe type I PCOS.
The study examined 213 infertile Jordanian women, including 159 with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and 54 without, to assess the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) and obesity. It found that 83.6% of women with PCOS had IR compared to 46.3% of the control group. Central obesity was significantly associated with PCOS, particularly in the type I phenotype, which was the most common and severe form, characterized by the highest fasting insulin and HOMA IR values. Waist circumference was identified as a better predictor of PCOS than BMI. The study concluded that IR is a significant factor in PCOS, especially among obese women, and that type I PCOS is associated with the most severe metabolic disturbances. It also noted that all obese women in the study were insulin-resistant and that androgenic alopecia was linked to obesity. The study suggests that treatment for women with PCOS should address obesity and insulin resistance alongside infertility.