Table 1. Clinical, hormonal and metabolic characteristics of women with PCOS versus controls.
| PCOS (n = 36) | Control (n = 16) | P-value | P-value**** | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Characteristics | Mean±SD | Mean±SD | ||
| Age (years) | 28.9±4.9 | 26.8±5.1 | 0.16 | - |
| Ethnicity (%) Caucasian Afro-Brazilian Mix |
37.1 17.1 45.7 |
43.8 12.5 43.8 |
0.87** | - |
| BMI (m/kg2) | 32.3±7.6 | 26.9±8.9 | 0.03 | - |
| WC (cm) | 102.5±17.4 | 84.3±18.6 | 0.001 | - |
| Acanthosis nigricans (%) | 38.9 | 6.3 | 0.02 *** | - |
| Ferriman-Gallwey modified (score) | 7.0 (5–12) | 1.5 (0–4) | 0.0001 * | - |
| Transvaginal Ultrasound | Median (IQR) | Median (IQR) | - | |
| Right ovary volume (cm3) | 12.0 (9,5–15,4) | - | - | - |
| Left ovary volume (cm3) | 11.9(8,0–15,5) | - | - | - |
| Polycystic pattern (%) | 66.7 | - | - | - |
| Hormonal/Metabolic Characteristics | Mean±SD | Mean±SD | ||
| FSH (IU/L) | 5.4±1.9 | 6.5±1.3 | 0.04 | 0.19 |
| LH (IU/L) | 12.9±6.4 | 7.0±5.5 | 0.0001 * | 0.001 |
| LH/FSH | 2.47±0.98 | 1.10±0.89 | <0.0001 * | <0.0001 |
| Total testosterone (ng/dL) | 53±25 | 34±11 | 0.003 * | 0.02 |
| Free testosterone (pmol/L) | 33±18 | 14±7 | <0.0001 * | 0.003 |
| SHBG (nmol/L) | 41.8±24.7 | 62.4±29.5 | 0.01 * | 0.10 |
| AMH (ng/mL) | 7.48±4.16 | 2.89±2.05 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dL) | 89.1±12.0 | 82.5±8.4 | 0.07* | 0.30 |
| Fasting glucose/insulin | 5.3±3.7 | 10.9±5.1 | 0.0001 * | 0.001 |
| HOMA-IR | 6.9±7.6 | 2.0±1.1 | 0.0001 * | 0.10 |
| Total Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 182±39 | 190±37 | 0.48 | 0.48 |
| LDL-C (mg/dL) | 104±32 | 103±35 | 0.92 | 0.79 |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 52±20 | 65±20 | 0.004 * | 0.15 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 140±99 | 77±35 | 0.01 * | 0.046 |
BMI: Body mass index; WC: Waist circumference; FSH: Follicular stimulating hormone; LH: Luteinizing hormone; SHBG: Sexual hormone binding globulin; AMH: Antimullerian hormone; HOMA-IR: Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance; LDL-C: Low density lipoprotein—cholesterol; HDL-C high density lipoprotein–cholesterol.
Continuous data reported as mean±standard deviation or median (interquartile range); categorical data reported as percentage (%).
Student T-test used for the analysis of normal distributed continuous data.
*Wilcoxon rank-sum test used for the analysis of non-normal distributed continuous data.
** Chi-squared test used for the analysis of categorical data.
*** Fisher Exact Test.
****p-value after controlling for BMI.
Reference values: FSH: 3.5–12.5 IU/L; LH: 2.4–12.6 IU/L; Total testosterone: <49 ng/dL; Free testosterone: 2.4–37.0 pmol/L; SHBG: 32.2–128.0 nmol/L; AMH: 1.2 a 3.4 ng/mL; Fasting glucose: 70–99 mg/dL; HOMA-IR: <2.7; Total Cholesterol: <200 mg/dL; LDL-C: <160 mg/dL; HDL-C: > 60 mg/dL; Triglycerides: <150 mg/dL.