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Purpose: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and 4 phenotypes have been described in this syndrome. The aim of this work was to investigate the frequency of anti-thyroid antibodies (TAb) and thyroid function in the 4 phenotypes of PCOS., Patients: This study included 448 patients with PCOS: 260 (58.0%) with phenotype A, 119 (26.6%) with phenotype B, 38 (8.5%) with phenotype C and 31 (6.9%) with phenotype D., Results: TAb positivity was detected in 90/448 patients (20.1%) and was statistically significant higher (p = 0.03) in the grouped phenotypes A-B (83/379, 21.9%) than in phenotypes C-D (7/69, 10.1%). Positive anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) were detected in 74/448 (16.5%) patients and positive anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAb) in 66/448 (14.7%) patients. Both TgAb and TPOAb positivity was higher but not statistically significant in phenotype A-B than phenotype C-D. High titer TgAb (> 100 UI/ml) frequency was significantly higher (p = 0.005) in grouped phenotypes A-B (39/379, 10.3%) than in phenotypes C-D (0/69, 0.0%), while no significant difference was observed for low titer TgAb (≤ 100 UI/ml). According to a binary logistic regression analysis hypothyroidism was significantly associated with TAb positivity (OR 4.19; CI 2.25-7.79; p < 0.01) but not with PCOS phenotype. Androgen profile was not associated with TAb positivity., Conclusion: A higher frequency of positive TAb and of high titer TgAb and TPOAb have been detected in PCOS women with phenotypes A and B, probably in relation to the greater imbalances between estrogen and progesterone levels present in these phenotypes., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE).)

Aim: To assess which parameters among hyperandrogenism (total testosterone-tT-or free androgen index-FAI), sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) or body mass index (BMI) could better predict a worse metabolic profile in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)., Methods: Five hundred and eighty-six women with PCOS and clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism were included. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves with tT, FAI, SHBG and BMI were performed for metabolic parameters and a cut-off with sensitivity and specificity was obtained for each parameter. The women were then divided into three groups and compared according to their BMI., Results: Based on the ROC curves, tT proved not to be a good predictor of metabolic alterations. FAI and SHBG resulted to be good predictors of some markers of metabolic damage. The area under the curves (AUC) of SHBG were greater than those of FAI. SHBG levels affects the values of homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), fasting insulin, high density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), and total cholesterol also when corrected for BMI. However, the highest AUCs of the ROC curves were observed when BMI was used, which was significantly related to all the metabolic parameters analyzed. Dividing women according to their BMI, BMI between 25.00 and 30.00 kg/m 2 had a worse metabolic profile but still in a normal range, while BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 women had a significant metabolic derangement., Discussion: BMI is a good predictor factor of metabolic changes in PCOS women at any age, and obesity is associated to the appearance of metabolic complications. Overweight and obese PCOS women should be addressed to perform a complete metabolic assessment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE).)

Purpose: To assess the distribution of clinical features and metabolic abnormalities of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) women according to their age., Methods: Retrospective study on 602 women (mean age 23.9 ± 6.2 years), diagnosed according to International PCOS Network Guidelines criteria as having PCOS in a University-based Hospital. Anthropometric features, hormonal and metabolic parameters were measured and compared between the different age groups (group A ≤ 20 years; group B 21-30 years; group C > 30 years)., Results: Patients in group A were more often hyperandrogenic, while in group C hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, impaired fasting glucose, and insulin resistance (IR) were more prevalent. After adjusting for BMI, age correlated positively with sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), IR, total- and LDL-cholesterol, and negatively with DHEAS, insulin, and free androgen index (FAI). SHBG was significantly associated with IR and atherogenic dyslipidemia, while FAI levels were linked to hypertension, independently of other factors considered. Furthermore, the regression analysis showed a stronger relationship between BMI and metabolic outcomes, regardless of age., Conclusion: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) phenotype changes with age. Clinical and biochemical hyperandrogenism are a major concern in young PCOS women, while metabolic burden tends to increase with aging. Some of the cardiovascular risk factors are dependent on FAI and SHBG levels, whereas BMI confirms its key role in the genesis of most of the metabolic sequelae in PCOS, independently of age., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background/aims: Prostatic specific antigen (PSA) is the most specific prostatic tumor marker in man. Recently, PSA has been detected in a variety of tissues and fluids in women, and its determination suggested as a marker of hyperandrogenism. However, precise information about the physiology of PSA in females is not available. The goal of this study was to assess serum concentrations of PSA in healthy pre-menopausal women (healthy pre-menopausal group), menopausal women (menopause group) and patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS group)., Methods: PSA, androgens, LH, FSH, 17-beta-estradiol (E2), progesterone (Pg) were assessed in 40 post-menopausal women, 35 fertile controls and 35 women with PCOS., Results: No significant difference in PSA concentrations could be demonstrated in different phases of the menstrual cycle in healthy pre-menopausal group and between pre- and post-menopausal groups. No correlations could be demonstrated between serum PSA levels and the following parameters: age, body mass index (BMI), LH, FSH, E2, testosterone (T), DHEAS, and SHBG, both in pre- and post-menopausal women. Significantly higher PSA levels (median=14 pg/ml) were found in the PCOS group compared to both pre-menopausal (median=5 pg/ml) and menopausal (median= 5 pg/ml) groups (p< 0.05)., Conclusions: only minor fluctuations of serum PSA concentrations are observed in healthy pre- and post-menopausal women, while serum level is higher in PCOS, and therefore PSA can be considered a suitable marker of female hyperandrogenism.