Diagnostic value of androgen measurements in polycystic ovary syndrome

A group of 51 women with a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) were investigated. They were further classified into PCO Type I and PCO Type II based on clinical and laboratory investigations. Serum levels of unbound (free) and total testosterone, testosterone binding globulin (TBG), and androstenedione were measured in these women and compared with values in normal women. Mean levels of all these steroids were elevated in women with PCO. No difference in adrogen levels was found between women with PCO Type I and PCO Type II. Serum unbound testosterone concentrations correlated better with the presence and severity of hirsutism than did the total testosterone.