Table 1. Preconception general characteristics.
| Total PCOS (n = 218) (Group A) | HA-PCOS (n = 112) (Group A1) | non HA-PCOS (n = 106) (Group A2) | Subfertile controls (n = 799) (Group B) | P value (Group A, B) | P value (Group A1, A2, B) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 28.5 (25.5–31.3) | 27.7 (24.5–30.0)a | 29.0 (27.2–32.2)a | 33.1 (29.6–36.4)b | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Ethnicity | ||||||
| Dutch | 122 (56.0%) | 54 (48.2%) | 68 (64.2%) | 445 (56.0%) | 1.00 | 0.06 |
| Other | 96 (44.0%) | 58 (51.8%) | 38 (35.8%) | 350 (44.0%) | - | - |
| Educational level | ||||||
| Low | 30 (14.6%) | 20 (18.7%) | 10 (10.1%) | 120 (15.8%) | 0.75 | 0.09 |
| Intermediate | 97 (47.1%) | 55 (51.4%) | 42 (42.4%) | 336 (44.2%) | - | - |
| High | 79 (38.3%) | 32 (29.9%) | 47 (47.5%) | 304 (40.0%) | - | - |
| Lifestyle Parameters: | ||||||
| Diet (Yes) | 43 (19.9%) | 25 (22.5%)b | 18 (17.1%)a, b | 105 (13.1%)a | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| PDR score (mean; sd) | 3.7 (1.14) | 3.9 (1.12)a | 3.5 (1.13)b | 3.5 (1.13)b | 0.02 | <0.01 |
| Folic acid supplement use (No) | 92 (42.4%) | 55 (49.1%)b | 37 (35.2%)a, b | 268 (33.5%)a | 0.02 | <0.01 |
| Vitamin supplement use (No) | 145 (67.4%) | 78 (70.3%) | 67 (64.4%) | 471 (59.5%) | 0.03 | 0.07 |
| Medication use (Yes) | 75 (34.6%) | 41 (36.6%) | 34 (32.4%) | 255 (32.0%) | 0.48 | 0.63 |
| Alcohol (Yes) | 101 (46.3%) | 39 (34.8%)b | 62 (58.5%)a | 439 (54.9%)a | 0.02 | <0.01 |
| Smoking (Yes) | 51 (23.5%) | 29 (26.1%) | 22 (20.8%) | 175 (22.3%) | 0.70 | 0.59 |
| Physical exercise (No) | 98 (51.0%) | 56 (60.2%)a | 42 (42.4%)b | 366 (49.4%)a, b | 0.68 | 0.04 |
| Stress (Yes) | 64 (34.4%) | 30 (33.7%) | 34 (35.1%) | 245 (33.6%) | 0.83 | 0.96 |
| Measurements: | ||||||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.6 (22.0–31.2) | 29.2 (24.9–33.2)a | 23.1 (20.6–26.6)b | 24.5 (22.0–28.3)c | 0.03 | <0.01 |
| BMI categories: | ||||||
| <20 | 21 (9.6%) | 3 (2.7%)a | 18 (17.0%)b | 54 (6.8%)a | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| ≥20 <25 | 82 (37.6%) | 27 (24.1%)b | 55 (51.9%)a | 373 (47.0%)a | - | - |
| ≥25 <30 | 52 (23.9%) | 31 (27.7%)a | 21 (19.8%)a | 228 (28.8%)a | - | - |
| ≥30 | 63 (28.9%) | 51 (45.5%)b | 12 (11.3%)a | 138 (17.4%)a | - | - |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 85 (74–97) | 93 (83–105)a | 77 (71–89)b | 84 (75–93)c | 0.28 | <0.01 |
| Waist hip ratio | 0.81 (0.75–0.87) | 0.84 (0.80–0.91)a | 0.78 (0.74–0.83)b | 0.81 (0.75–0.87)c | 0.66 | <0.01 |
| Biochemical Parameters: | ||||||
| Cobalamin (pmol/L) | 305 (232–392) | 282 (215–371) | 322 (254–416) | 310 (237–411) | 0.51 | 0.09 |
| RBC Folate (nmol/L) | 960 (769–1182) | 861 (718–1067)a | 1059 (869–1380)b | 1037 (831–1328)b | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Folate (nmol/L) | 25.1 (15.6–36.1) | 21.3 (13.4–30.9)a | 29.1 (17.8–43.4)b | 30.1 (19.0–41.3)b | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| tHcy (μmol/L) | 8.8 (7.4–10.2) | 8.5 (7.3–10.2) | 9.1 (7.7–10.2) | 8.4 (7.1–9.9) | 0.08 | 0.12 |
Note: Values are expressed as median (interquartile range) or number (%). HA = Hyperandrogenic; PDR score = Preconception Dietary Risk score; BMI = Body Mass Index; RBC Folate = Red Blood Cell Folate; tHcy = homocysteine. Normal range biochemical parameters; Folate ≥8 nmol/L, RBC folate ≥500 nmol/L, Cobalamin ≥145 pmol/L, tHcy <15 μmol/L. For pairwise comparisons; each subscript letter denotes a subset of categories whose column proportions do not differ significantly from each other.