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The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Vol. 91, No. 12 4842-4848
Copyright © 2006 by The Endocrine Society

Characterizing Discrete Subsets of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome as Defined by the Rotterdam Criteria: The Impact of Weight on Phenotype and Metabolic Features

C. K. Welt1, J. A. Gudmundsson1, G. Arason1, J. Adams, H. Palsdottir, G. Gudlaugsdottir, G. Ingadottir and W. F. Crowley

Reproductive Endocrine Unit (C.K.W., J.A., W.F.C.), Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Massachusetts 02114; ÞJÓNUSTUMIiDSTÖD RANNSÓKNAVERKEFNA (H.P., G.G., G.I.), NÓATÚN 17, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (J.A.G.), Landspitali University Hospital, and ARTmedica IVF (G.A.), 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Corrine Welt, Reproductive Endocrine Unit, BHX 511, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114. E-mail: cwelt{at}partners.org.


   Abstract
Top
 Abstract
Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Context: The Rotterdam criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) defines discrete subgroups whose phenotypes are not yet clear.

Objective: The phenotypic characteristics of women in the PCOS subgroups defined by the Rotterdam criteria were compared.

Design: The study was observational.

Setting: Subjects were studied in an outpatient setting in Boston and Reykjavik.

Patients: Four subgroups of subjects with PCOS defined by 1) irregular menses (IM), hyperandrogenism (HA), and polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM, n = 298); 2) IM/HA (n = 7); 3) HA/PCOM (n = 77); and 4) IM/PCOM (n = 36) and a group of controls (n = 64), aged 18–45 yr, were examined.

Intervention: Subjects underwent a physical exam; fasting blood samples for androgens, gonadotropins, and metabolic parameters; and a transvaginal ultrasound.

Main Outcome Measures: The phenotype was compared between groups.

Results: Ninety-seven percent of women with IM/HA had PCOM. Therefore, the groups with and without PCOM were combined. The Ferriman-Gallwey score and androgen levels were highest in the hyperandrogenic groups (IM/HA and HA/PCOM), whereas ovarian volume was higher in all PCOS subgroups compared with controls, as expected based on the definitions of the PCOS subgroups. Body mass index and insulin levels were highest in the IM/HA subgroup.

Conclusions: Subjects with PCOS defined by IM/HA are the most severely affected women on the basis of androgen levels, ovarian volumes, and insulin levels. Their higher body mass index partially accounts for the increased insulin levels, suggesting that weight gain exacerbates the symptoms of PCOS.


   Introduction
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
COMPARING THE PHENOTYPES of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) around the world has been extremely difficult because of the lack of standardized criteria to make this diagnosis. A recent workshop in Rotterdam attempted to reconcile these differences by expanding the diagnostic criteria for PCOS with the addition of ultrasound evaluations (1, 2). According to these new criteria, PCOS can be defined when two of three of the following symptoms or signs are present: 1) irregular menses (IM); 2) hyperandrogenism (HA), either clinical or biochemical; and/or 3) PCO morphology (PCOM) on pelvic ultrasound; all in the absence of another disorder that can cause the same symptoms. Using these Rotterdam criteria, there are four possible diagnostic subcategories of PCOS, i.e. IM/HA/PCOM, IM/HA, HA/PCOM, and IM/PCOM.

Documenting differences in subjects within these four PCOS groupings is now critical to determine whether their phenotypes are distinct or overlapping with each other or with unaffected women (3, 4). The definition of these PCOS subsets is especially timely because the resulting phenotypes may have implications for the genetic searches that they presage now that the tools are in place to determine the gene(s) underlying this polygenic condition (5, 6). Although three subgroups have been evaluated (7, 8, 9), there have been no studies comparing the differences between all four of the subgroups defined by the Rotterdam workshop, nor have there been comparisons in different ethnic groups. In addition, the existing subgroup evaluations have differed. One study demonstrated differences in the body mass index (BMI) and insulin levels in women with IM/HA compared with those with HA/PCOM (8, 9), whereas the other failed to demonstrate such differences between the three groups (7).

We have studied a large population of women with PCOS in Iceland and Boston. We therefore set out to contrast women with PCOS defined by 1) IM/HA/PCOM; 2) IM/HA with normal ovarian morphology; 3) HA/PCOM with regular menses; and 4) IM/PCOM in the absence of HA.


   Subjects and Methods
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
Results
 Discussion
 References
 
PCOS subjects

Four-hundred eighteen subjects with PCOS, aged 18–45 yr, were recruited in Iceland (n = 154) and Boston (n = 264). Icelandic subjects were recruited from the practice of two gynecologists (J.A.G. and G.A.; n = 88), an obesity study (n = 19), self-referral (n = 12), and advertisements or family members of PCOS subjects (n = 35). Boston subjects were recruited from endocrinology or medicine practices and advertisements (supplemental Table 5, published as supplemental data on The Endocrine Society’s Journals Online web site at http://jcem.endojournals.org). PCOS subjects in Boston were recruited based on the National Institutes of Health criteria (2). However, a subset of subjects presenting as controls with regular menstrual cycles were discovered to have HA and PCOM on ultrasound (n = 30) and were therefore included with the PCOS group defined as HA/PCOM (see below).

Control subjects

Control subjects from Boston (n = 32) and Iceland (n = 32) were recruited simultaneously. Subjects aged 18–37 yr had menstrual cycle lengths between 25 and 35 d and subjects aged 37.5–45 yr had menstrual cycle lengths between 21 and 35 d based on age-related follicular-phase shortening (10). Subjects had no self-reported or physical exam evidence of hirsutism. Control subjects were not sisters of subjects fulfilling the Rotterdam criteria (1) for the diagnosis of PCOS.

All subjects in Iceland were examined by one of two research nurses (H.P. and G.I.), trained by a Boston physician (C.K.W.). All subjects in Boston were examined by one of two physician assistants and a Boston physician (C.K.W.). Subjects were divided into four PCOS subgroups based on the criteria outlined in the Rotterdam PCOS consensus workshop (1). The groupings included 1) IM (fewer than nine menstrual periods per year), clinical and/or biochemical evidence of HA (elevated Ferriman-Gallwey score or androgen level; see below), and PCOM on ultrasound (11, 12) (IM/HA/PCOM); 2) IM and HA without PCOM (IM/HA); 3) HA and PCOM with regular menstrual cycles of 21–35 d (HA/PCOM); and 4) IM and PCOM with no HA (IM/PCOM). Clinical HA was defined as a Ferriman-Gallwey score greater than the upper 95% confidence limit for control populations in Iceland (>6) (13) or Boston (>9) (14). Biochemical HA was defined as an androgen level greater than the 95% confidence limits in control subjects with regular, ovulatory menstrual cycles [testosterone > 63 ng/ml (2.8 nmol/liter), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) > 430 µg/dl (1.16 µmol/liter), or androstenedione levels > 3.8 ng/ml (13.3 nmol/liter)] (14).

All subjects were healthy, not on hormonal medication, and had normal thyroid function, prolactin levels, and a premenopausal follicular phase FSH level. Late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia was excluded with a follicular-phase 17OH-progesterone of no more than 300 µg/dl (15).

Protocol

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Data Protection Commission of Iceland, and the National Bioethics Committee of Iceland. All subjects gave written informed consent.

PCOS subjects were studied at least 10 d after their last menstrual period to avoid the time frame in which LH and androgen levels are suppressed after spontaneous ovulation (14). Control subjects were studied in the follicular phase. All subjects arrived after a 12-h fast and underwent a detailed history and physical exam, including an assessment of hirsutism by the method of Ferriman and Gallwey (16) and measurement of waist circumference at the umbilicus and hip circumference at the widest diameter. Subjects had blood samples drawn for fasting lipids, glucose, insulin, gonadotropin, and sex-steroid levels.

Additional blood samples were drawn at 10 and 20 min for LH and FSH to obtain an average gonadotropin concentration, as previously described (17). Subjects also underwent a transvaginal ultrasound or, rarely, a transabdominal ultrasound (ATL HDI 1500, 5-MHz convex array transducer) to assess ovarian morphology. Ultrasound scans were read and scored as PCOM, independently, by one of two experienced and blinded reviewers (C.K.W. or J.M.A.).

Assays

All blood samples were assayed in the Reproductive Endocrine Unit Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital. Serum LH and FSH were measured using a two-site monoclonal nonisotopic system (Axsym; Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL) (18) and are expressed in international units per liter as equivalents of the Second International Reference Preparation 71/223 of human menopausal gonadotropins. Serum testosterone and androstenedione were measured using a RIA (Coat-a-Count; Diagnostic Products Corp., Los Angeles, CA) (19). 17OH-Progesterone was measured by RIA (20). SHBG and insulin were measured using an immunochemiluminescent immunoassay (Immulite; Diagnostic Products Corp.).

Data analysis

A progesterone level greater than 1 ng/ml (>3.2 nmol/liter) was taken as evidence of presumed recent ovulation. In those subjects, gonadotropins and androgens were not analyzed to avoid the known effect of progesterone to lower these laboratory results (14).

Ovarian volume was calculated as length x width x height in centimeters multiplied by 0.5233 (21). PCOM was defined as at least one ovary with 10 or more follicles of 2–10 mm in a single plane (11, 12) or an ovarian volume of more than 10 ml in the absence of a dominant follicle more than 10 mm, a corpus luteum, or a cyst (1, 11). A peripheral pattern of follicles surrounding increased stroma was not required. The maximum ovarian volume and follicle number in both ovaries was used for comparisons, excluding the volume of an ovary with a dominant follicle, corpus luteum, or cyst.

Free testosterone was calculated using total testosterone and SHBG (22). The homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was used to estimate insulin resistance (23).

Laboratory and ultrasound data were compared between groups using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to control for age and BMI, or age only, for anthropomorphic measurements. Fisher’s least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test was used to determine significant differences between groups. Categorical variables were compared using {chi}2 tests. All analyses were also performed between Icelandic subjects and Boston Caucasian subjects (supplemental Tables 1–4, published as supplemental data on The Endocrine Society’s Journals Online web site at http://jcem.endojournals.org). A z test was used to compare the proportions of subjects with metabolic syndrome in relation to data from the NHANES III study (24). Spearman correlations were used to examine relationships between variables. Data are expressed as mean ± SD, unless indicated. A P value of <0.05 was considered significant.


   Results
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
Discussion
 References
 
Of the total number of subjects, 298 (71%) fulfilled the criteria for IM/HA/PCOM, seven (2%) for IM/HA, 77 (18%) for HA/PCOM, and 36 (9%) for IM/PCOM (Table 1Go). Virtually all subjects with IM/HA also had PCOM (see Table 4Go). The only differences between the seven subjects with IM/HA and normal ovarian morphology and those with PCOM were older ages (34.4 ± 4.1 vs. 28.3 ± 5.3 yr; P < 0.01) and higher FSH levels (15.0 ± 9.1 vs. 10.3 ± 2.6 IU/liter; P < 0.001). Because follicle count and the prevalence of PCOM decrease with age in women with PCOS (25, 26), the groups IM/HA/PCOM and IM/HA were analyzed together and designated IM/HA.


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  		TABLE 1. Comparison of the PCOS phenotype in subjects with IM/HA, HA/PCOM, and IM/PCOM

 

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  		TABLE 4. Ultrasound findings in PCOS subjects with IM/HA, HA/PCOM, and IM/PCOM

 
Anthropomorphic and physical exam features

Subjects in each subset differed slightly in age (Table 1Go). Weight, BMI, waist and hip measurements, and waist-to-hip ratio were increased in women with IM/HA compared with those with HA/PCOM, those with IM/PCOM, and controls (Table 1Go and Fig. 1Go). Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were not different between the groups when controlled for age and BMI. As expected based on the criteria used to define the categories of PCOS, there was a gradient in Ferriman-Gallwey scores with the highest score in the IM/HA group and the lowest score in IM/PCOM and controls. The prevalence of acne was highest in the IM/HA and IM/PCOM groups. The prevalence of acanthosis was greatest in PCOS subjects with IM/HA, intermediate in subjects with IM/PCOM, and lowest in subjects with HA/PCOM and controls.


Figure 1
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  		FIG. 1. BMI, testosterone (T), androstenedione (AD), and the LH/FSH ratio in Boston and Icelandic women with PCOS in subsets identified by the Rotterdam workshop (1 ) and controls. Groups include women with PCOS identified by 1) IM and HA regardless of PCOM (IM/HA), 2) HA and regular menses with PCOM (HA/PCOM), 3) IM and PCOM (IM/PCOM), and 4) controls (CTL). Data are shown in box and whisker plots. The box represents the 25 and 75% confidence limits, and the line represents the median. Bars indicate the SE, and circles are 5th and 95th percentiles. A bar with an asterisk indicates significant differences in pairwise comparisons between the groups indicated using the Fisher’s LSD post hoc test. To convert to SI units, multiply testosterone by 0.04467 and androstenedione by 3.492.

 
When the Caucasian Icelandic women with PCOS were analyzed separately, women with IM/HA and HA/PCOM had similar weight, BMI, waist and hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio (supplemental Table 1). Controls in Iceland were also well matched for these parameters. The Ferriman-Gallwey scores in the Icelandic women with IM/HA and HA/PCOM were also similar. The prevalence of acne and acanthosis did not differ in the Icelandic PCOS subjects and controls.

Gonadotropin and androgen levels

LH and the LH/FSH ratio were higher in women with IM/HA and IM/PCOM compared with controls and were higher in women with IM/HA than women with HA/PCOM (Table 2Go and Fig. 1Go), but FSH levels did not differ among groups.


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  		TABLE 2. Comparison of the gonadotropins and androgens in PCOS subjects with IM/HA, HA/PCOM, and IM/PCOM

 
The predominantly ovarian androgen testosterone exhibited decreasing levels with the apparent severity of PCOS (Table 2Go and Fig. 1Go). Testosterone and free testosterone levels were highest in women with IM/HA, intermediate in women with HA/PCOM, and lowest in women with IM/PCOM and controls. The opposite pattern was demonstrated for SHBG. The hormones secreted at least partially by the adrenal, androstenedione, DHEAS, and 17OH-progesterone exhibited higher levels in the HA groups (IM/HA and HA/PCOM) and lower levels in women with IM/PCOM and controls.

When analyzed separately, there was no difference in LH or in the LH/FSH ratio between PCOS subgroups and controls in Iceland (supplemental Table 2). In addition, Icelandic women with PCOS in the subgroups IM/HA and HA/PCOM had similar testosterone, SHBG, and free testosterone, whereas DHEAS was highest in women with HA/PCOM.

Metabolic hormones

There were no differences in the fasting glucose or glycosylated hemoglobin levels among the four groups, although insulin resistance varied significantly. Insulin levels and HOMA for insulin resistance were highest in women with IM/HA compared with women with HA/PCOM and controls when controlled for age and BMI (Table 3Go). There were no differences in cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, or triglyceride levels between groups when controlled for age and BMI.


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  		TABLE 3. Comparison of the metabolic parameters in PCOS subjects with IM/HA, HA/PCOM, and IM/PCOM

 
When analyzed separately, there was no difference in insulin levels or HOMA in Icelandic PCOS subjects and controls (supplemental Table 3). High-density lipoprotein levels were different among the PCOS subgroups in Iceland, with the lowest levels in women with IM/HA and highest in women with IM/PCOM.

There was no difference in the prevalence of impaired fasting glucose or type 2 diabetes in the four groups. Although the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was highest in women with IM/HA and lowest in women with IM/PCOM, particularly in the 30- to 39-yr-old age group, there was no difference in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome when women with a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 were compared. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was also compared with that in the U.S. Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) (24). The proportion of subjects with metabolic syndrome was higher in PCOS women with IM/HA when compared with women in the NHANES III study aged 20–29 yr (17 vs. 6%; IM/HA vs. NHANES III; P < 0.001; Table 3Go) and 30–39 yr (30 vs. 15%; P < 0.001). However, there was no difference in the proportion of subjects with metabolic syndrome when subjects with a BMI greater than 30 kg/m2 were compared between the two groups (20–29 yr, 30 vs. 28%; and 30–39 yr, 39 vs. 43%; IM/HA vs. NHANES III, respectively; both P values were not significant). The proportion of subjects with metabolic syndrome was not different in 20- to 29- or 30- to 39-yr-old women with PCOS defined as HA/PCOM or IM/PCOM or controls compared with NHANES III subjects regardless of BMI.

Ultrasounds

Subjects with PCOS defined as IM/HA and IM/PCOM had the largest ovarian volumes and the greatest number of follicles in a single plane on ultrasound, whereas the subjects with HA/PCOM had intermediate values, and all groups had greater volume and follicle number than controls (Table 4Go). All subjects with HA/PCOM and IM/PCOM had PCOM, by definition, whereas the majority of subjects with IM/HA had PCOM. Interestingly, slightly more than one half of the control women had PCOM.

When analyzed separately, ovarian volume and follicle number were similar in all subgroups of Icelandic women with PCOS but slightly lower in women with HA/PCOM compared with other PCOS groups in Boston (supplemental Table 4), although all PCOS subgroups were higher than controls. There were more ultrasounds demonstrating PCOM in the control group in Boston than in Iceland and more indeterminate ultrasounds in Iceland than in Boston, although the numbers were small.

Correlations

LH correlated with testosterone best in the HA/PCOM group (r = 0.254, P < 0.001 IM/HA; r = 0.444, P < 0.001 HA/PCOM; r = 0.367, P < 0.05 IM/PCOM), as did the androstenedione level (r = 0.241, P < 0.001 IM/HA; r = 0.585, P < 0.001 HA/PCOM; r = 0.413, P < 0.05 IM/PCOM). Insulin correlated with androstenedione in women with PCOS defined as HA/PCOM and in controls (r = 0.292 and r = 0.256, respectively; both P < 0.05). Insulin correlated with DHEAS in IM/HA and HA/PCOM groups (r = –0.167 and r = 0.318, respectively; both P < 0.01) and inversely with SHBG in all groups (r = –0.498, P < 0.001 IM/HA; r = – 0.395, P < 0.01 HA/PCOM; r = –0.344, P < 0.01 control). There was no correlation between insulin and testosterone in any group.

Ovarian volume correlated with testosterone (r = 0.349; P < 0.001) and androstenedione (r = 0.145; P < 0.05) in women with IM/HA and with testosterone in control women (r = 0.35, P < 0.05). There was no correlation between ovarian volume and LH, FSH, or insulin.


   Discussion
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
References
 
The four groups of PCOS empanelled by the Rotterdam criteria differ based on the presence or absence of IM, HA, and PCOM (1). Therefore, the relationships between the higher Ferriman-Gallwey scores, androgen levels, and presence of PCOM between the groups are expected based on the definitions used. What is surprising, however, is that the anthropomorphic features of PCOS, i.e. higher weight, BMI, and waist/hip ratios distinguish women with HA, particularly IM/HA, from other women with PCOS. Thus, the most severe physical features and their metabolic consequences define the groups with HA, whereas the group with IM/PCOM is distinguished from control women predominantly by menstrual cycle abnormalities and ovarian morphology.

The current study and others suggest that weight and/or insulin resistance modify the severity of PCOS symptoms. Similar to the current data, BMI, insulin levels, and insulin resistance were higher in women with PCOS defined as IM/HA compared with those with HA/PCOM, although there was no non-HA IM/PCOM group in these studies (8, 9, 27). Consistent with these findings, sisters of women with PCOS who have HA but regular cycles are thinner and have a tendency toward less insulin resistance than PCOS probands and sisters with PCOS, although ovarian morphologies were not examined and the Rotterdam criteria could not be applied (28, 29). Only one previous study has examined the relationship between weight, insulin resistance, and PCOS using all three of the Rotterdam criteria (7). This study demonstrated higher insulin levels in subjects with IM regardless of their androgenic status. Similarly, in the current study, which is substantial in size, subjects with PCOS and IM in the absence of HA (IM/PCOM) had similar high insulin levels when compared with women with IM/HA, although the difference did not reach significance when compared with women with HA/PCOM. Finally, women with IM/HA had the highest rate of metabolic syndrome related to their increased weight. Taken together, weight and/or hyperinsulinemia may be the inciting factors in the IM and metabolic risk factors associated with PCOS, and IM may in turn exacerbate existing HA.

The current study examines a large number of subjects recruited from two different countries and from medical vs. gynecology practices, along with common recruitment from general advertising. Therefore, bias based on recruitment source should be analyzed, particularly because endocrinologists and gynecologists can define PCOS differently (30), and we have previously identified differences in Boston and Icelandic PCOS subjects (17). The proportion of subjects recruited from practices vs. advertising was similar in Boston and Iceland, as was the proportion of PCOS subjects falling into the categories IM/HA and IM/PCOM. The only difference between Boston and Iceland was that subjects with HA/PCOM were not recruited from medical practices in Boston (supplemental Table 5).

When the Icelandic and Boston Caucasian groups were examined separately, the weight, BMI, and waist/hip ratio of women with HA/PCOM in Iceland was similar to that in women with IM/HA. The lower weight in the Boston HA/PCOM subjects may reflect the fact that they presented as normal controls but were found to be hirsute with elevated androgen levels, perhaps because they were motivated to volunteer based on a concern over these abnormalities. As a possible consequence of the weight similarity in the HA/PCOM and IM/HA groups in Iceland, the Ferriman-Gallwey scores and testosterone levels were also similar, whereas in Boston the HA/PCOM subjects exhibited a more intermediate phenotype. Furthermore, the insulin levels and HOMA in the IM/PCOM group in Boston, but not Iceland, were similar to those in the IM/HA group. An Australian study also demonstrated similar BMI and insulin levels in women with IM/PCOM and IM/HA (7). Taken together, separate analyses of Boston and Icelandic subjects also support the concept that weight and/or increased insulin resistance modify the PCOS phenotype, contributing to either HA or IM.

Both LH and insulin stimulate androgen production in women with PCOS (31), and both have been suggested as the primary factors related to weight and anovulation that stimulate ovarian testosterone and androstenedione levels. The correlation between testosterone, androstenedione, and LH, but not insulin, as in some previous studies (32, 33, 34), suggests that LH is the major factor driving ovarian androgen production in women with PCOS defined by IM/HA. However, women with IM/PCOM but no HA exhibited LH levels and LH/FSH ratios indistinguishable from those of the women with IM/HA. Furthermore, insulin correlated with androstenedione and DHEAS in women with HA/PCOM, suggesting a role for insulin in this subgroup. Taken together, these findings provide support for the concept that both LH and insulin drive hyperandrogenemia in women with PCOS.

The findings on ovarian ultrasound most closely paralleled those of LH, as seen previously (32, 35), with the highest ovarian volume and follicle number in the IM/HA group, intermediate levels in the IM/PCOM group, and lowest levels in the HA/PCOM group. Although there was a correlation between testosterone and androstenedione and ovarian volume in the IM/HA group, the order of ovarian volume and follicle number did not parallel the dose-response levels of testosterone in which the highest levels were demonstrated in the IM/HA group and the lowest in IM/PCOM. There was also no relationship between ovarian volume and FSH or insulin. Thus, it is not clear whether the ovarian volume is a primary abnormality or is exacerbated by persistent anovulation or another related hormonal factor.

The IM/PCOM group has been the most controversial of the four groups identified in the Rotterdam workshop (3, 4, 36) because HA has been considered a defining feature of PCOS (2). The current data suggest that the PCOS group defined by IM/PCOM is distinguished from control women by IM and the greater ovarian volume and follicle number on ultrasound, expanding previous findings (8). The LH/FSH ratio, a test that has specificity for the diagnosis of PCOS (37), was also high in the IM/PCOM group and was similar to the ratio in the IM/HA group. Of note, to make PCOS subcategories consistent with the recommendations of the Rotterdam workshop in the current study, acne alone was not used as an indicator of HA because it is listed only as a potential marker in the Rotterdam criteria (1), and it can occur in the absence of systemic HA (38). Thus, within the definitional limits of this study, women with IM/PCOM have phenotypic features similar to those in other groups with PCOS despite a weight similar to controls, suggesting they are the least affected PCOS subjects.

These data provide evidence to support three subsets of subjects with PCOS defined by the Rotterdam criteria for potential use in genetics studies. Subjects with PCOS defined by HA are the most severely affected, with the highest androgen levels. They also have the highest BMI of the Rotterdam subgroups, suggesting that weight gain or intrinsic insulin resistance may exacerbate symptoms of PCOS or cause cycle irregularity in women with HA at baseline. Women with IM/PCOM are clearly distinguished from controls by their ovarian volume, follicle number, and IM. Longitudinal studies using well-defined phenotypes in these three groups will be needed to determine whether the differences in phenotype result in differences in long-term consequences such as infertility and cardiovascular disease.


   Acknowledgments
 
We thank Patrick Sluss, Ph.D., and Joseph Moy for their assay expertise. We also thank Kristleifur Kristjansson, M.D., Struan Grant, Ph.D., Larus Gudmundsson, and Gyda Bjornsdottir for their expert assistance with the study design, data management, and retrieval.


   Footnotes
 
This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant U01 HD 4417 and National Center for Research Resources General Clinical Research Centers Program Grant M01-RR-01066.

Disclosure summary: The authors have nothing to disclose.

First Published Online September 26, 2006

1 C.K.W., J.A.G., and G.A. contributed equally to the work. Back

Abbreviations: ANCOVA, Analysis of covariance; BMI, body mass index; DHEAS, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate; HA, hyperandrogenism; HOMA, homeostasis model assessment; IM, irregular menses; LSD, least significant difference; PCOM, polycystic ovary morphology; PCOS, polycystic ovary syndrome.

Received June 21, 2006.

Accepted September 19, 2006.


   References
Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Subjects and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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