Association between insulin resistance and abnormal menstrual cycle in Saudi females with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder experienced by women of reproductive age and is marked by insulin resistance (IR) and menstrual cycle abnormalities. In this study, we set out to assess how the level of menstrual abnormalities relates to the degree of IR in women with PCOS. Methods: The participants in this study were 93 women diagnosed with PCOS and 100 controls with regular vaginal bleeding. Data was collected through blood samples, physical examinations, and medical histories. The primary outcome measures were body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostatic model assessment for IR (HOMA-IR), and hormonal parameters. Results: Values for BMI and HOMA-IR were higher in PCOS cases than in controls [(28.6 ± 1.9 vs. 23.7 ± 2.3) and (2.29 ± 2.87 vs. 1.48 ± 1.02), respectively]. Oligomenorrhea was documented in 79.4% of women with PCOS, with the others experienced vaginal bleeding intervals under 45 days. The greater the menstrual irregularity, the higher the levels of luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone and testosterone. Among the PCOS group, those with vaginal bleeding intervals of above 90 days had a higher HOMA-IR values (2.46 ± 2.77), after adjustments for age and BMI, than the participants who went<45 days between periods (2.01 ± 2.14) and those whose interval was 45–90 days (2.09 ± 2.43). Conclusions: Most of the participants with PCOS had obvious oligomenorrhea of at least 6 weeks between episodes of vaginal bleeding and had significantly higher insulin resistance than did the controls. This suggests that insulin resistance in PCOS cases may be predicted by the presence of clinically overt menstrual dysfunction.

Keywords

• Menstrual dysfunction
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Insulin resistance
• Glucose metabolism
• Hyperandrogenism