Long-term reproductive and metabolic consequences of PCOS

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with reproductive and metabolic consequences. The review of findings indicate that the long-term reproductive outcomes of women with PCOS are surprisingly similar compared to women with normal ovaries, and that they have an ovarian reserve possibly superior to women with normal ovaries. The typical features of PCOS, specifically the anovulatory cycles tend to normalize over time, but in spite of a decrease over time, free androgen levels remain elevated compared to age-matched control subjects. Women with PCOS diagnosed at young age continue to display reduced insulin sensitivity in the perimenopausal age, independent from phenotypic expression of PCOS, both at diagnosis and at follow-up. Insulin resistance does not seem to deteriorate further, however. Overall, the accumulated data from several European cohort studies of older women with a previous diagnosis of PCOS suggest an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes, increased prevalence of several features of the metabolic syndrome, but no increased incidence of mortality from CVD.