Criteria for polycystic ovarian morphology in polycystic ovary syndrome as a function of age

Ovaries meeting criteria for polycystic ovary morphology during peak reproductive years may no longer meet the criteria with age.

Ovarian volume and follicle number decrease with age in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), permitting age-dependent criteria for PCOM.

We conducted longitudinal (7-15 year interval) and cross-sectional studies to examine polycystic ovarian morphology over time at an outpatient clinic and pathology laboratory in a tertiary care hospital.

Subjects included those with PCOS defined by the National Institutes of Health criteria (n = 11 and 483 for longitudinal and cross-sectional, respectively) and control women with regular menstrual cycles and no hyperandrogenism (n = 15 and 367), age 18-64 yr.

Subjects underwent an ovarian ultrasound by a single observer.

Ovarian volume and follicle number were measured and ultrasound findings confirmed by a pathologist in a subset (n = 9).

Ovarian volume (15.2 +/- 7.4 vs. 7.1 +/- 3.7 ml; P < 0.01) and follicle number (12.8 +/- 3.2 vs. 8.1 +/- 3.9; P < 0.05) decreased longitudinally in PCOS and control women (volume 11.6 +/- 4.4 vs. 5.4 +/- 2.2 ml and follicle number 8.3 +/- 1.9 vs. 6.3 +/- 1.8; both P < 0.005). Using cross-sectional data, log ovarian volume and follicle number decreased in both groups, but the decrease in log ovarian volume was less pronounced in women with PCOS than in controls (P < 0.01). A combination of age, log ovarian volume, follicle number, and testosterone distinguished PCOS subjects from controls with a receiver operator characteristic curve area of 0.90.

Ovarian volume and follicle number decrease with age in women with PCOS and controls necessitating age-based criteria to define polycystic ovarian morphology. It is possible to use these criteria to distinguish PCOS in women over age 40 yr.