[THYROID STIMULATING HORMONE LEVELS IN EUTHYROID WOMEN WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME]

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship of the main hormonal and metabolic abnormalities in PCOS with different levels of TSH in the limits of its reference values.

The study involved 70 women with PCOS aged 16 to 39 years and BMI between 18.3 and 39.5 kg/m2 and a control group of 22 clinically healthy women, corresponding to age and BMI. In all of the participating women fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, TSH, FT4, TPO-Ab and Tg-Ab, LH, FSH, estradiol, Androstenedione, testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S, prolactin, 17-hydroxyprogesterone were assessed. BMI, LDL-cholesterol, LH/FSH ratio, FAI and HOMA-index were calculated.

In patients with PCOS, TSH levels > 2.0 mlU/L are associated with significantly higher levels of total and LDL-cholesterol. However, we did not find a direct dependency of TSH indicators of insulin resistance neither across the group of women with PCOS, nor with the subgroups. Therefore, in euthyroid women with PCOS TSH has a more pronounced effect on lipid compared to carbohydrate metabolism and in particular on insulin sensitivity.

TSH levels above 2.5 in patients with PCOS are a sign for further refinement of thyroid function, initiation or adjustment of the already commenced replacement therapy.