The Pubertal Presentation of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
September 2002
in “
Fertility and sterility
”
TLDR Girls with PCOS often start puberty earlier and have signs of insulin resistance from a young age.
In a pilot study examining the pubertal presentation of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), 67 adult PCOS patients were compared to 48 control patients without PCOS. The study found that PCOS patients experienced thelarche (breast development) and menarche (first menstrual period) at earlier ages than controls, with averages of 10.8 years and 12.3 years respectively, compared to 11.8 years and 13.0 years in the control group. Additionally, 15% of PCOS patients reported pubic hair growth before age 8, which was significantly higher than the control group. Regular menses occurred later in PCOS patients, with an average age of 16.7 years compared to 14.2 years in controls. PCOS patients also had a higher prevalence of childhood obesity, acanthosis nigricans, and post-meal sleepiness, which are indicative of insulin resistance. These findings suggest that early pubertal events in PCOS may be linked to hyperandrogenism or increased body mass index, and that insulin resistance is more common in PCOS patients from a young age.