Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2011) 26 P98

ECE2011 Poster Presentations Female reproduction (39 abstracts)

Oligo-amenorrhea and hyperandrogenaemia in postmenarcheal adolescence

P Pinola 1 , H Lashen 2 , A Bloigu 3 , K Puukka 4 , M Ulmanen 4 , M R Järvelin 3, , A L Hartikainen 1 & L Morin-Papunen 1


1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; 2Department of Human Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Jessop Wing, Sheffield, S10 2SF Sheffield, UK; 3Child and Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Unit, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Oulu, Finland; 4Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; 5Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.


Introduction: Hyperandrogenaemia in adolescence is associated with hirsutism, acne and menstrual irregularity and is considered as an important risk for polycystic ovary syndrome and subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to establish if self-reported oligo/amenorrhea were associated with hyperandrogenemia and metabolic disturbances in adolescence.

Subjects and methods: A cross sectional study using postal questionnaire targeting 16 years old girls in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (n=4567). Of them, 3237 girls (71%) responded to the questionnaire and attended a clinical examination. After excluding pregnant girls, girls taking oral contraceptives or other hormonal treatment, and the subjects with missing data, 2448 girls were included in the analyses.

Results: Seven hundred and fifteen girls reported oligo-/amenorrea (symptomatic girls) and 1753 had regular periods (symptomless girls). Girls with menstrual disorders exhibited significantly higher serum concentrations of testosterone (P=0.010), lower serum levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG, P=0.042) and higher levels of free androgen index (FAI, mean: 3.37 (95% confidence interval, CI: 2.32, 4.42) versus 3.07 (95% CI: 2.04, 4.10), P=0.002). The two groups did not differ as regards body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, serum levels of glucose, insulin and lipids, or insulin sensitivity. There was a significant linear trend towards higher FAI levels in the higher BMI quartiles both in symptomatic and asymptomatic girls. In the whole population there was a statistically significant linear decreasing in high-density lipoprotein concentrations (P<0.001) and higher triglyceride concentrations (P=0.004) in the upper FAI quartile.

Conclusion: Oligo/amenorrhea at the age 16 is a good marker of hyperandrogenaemia. Girls in the highest BMI quartiles exhibited the greatest degree of hyperandrogenaemia, and those in the highest FAI quartile had a more unfavorable lipid profile, thus confirming earlier data on an association between obesity, hyperandrogenism and metabolic risks.

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