Endocrine Abstracts

JOINT2833

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is not limited to younger ages but persists during menopause. However, only little is known about this important lifetime for PCOS women – especially in view of a number of risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular disease manifestations. We aimed to characterize postmenopausal women by both actual hormonal/metabolic data and medical history questionnaires in the “BioPersMed cohort” (Biomarkers in Personalized Medicine) conducted at the University Hospital of Graz to evaluate the prevalence and specificities of PCOS after the menopause.

Methods: The BioPersMed cohort has n = 1022 participants over 45 years of age, is a longitudinal phenotyping study with regular visits, including large endocrine, metabolic and cardiovascular/functional diagnostic panels as well as oral glucose tolerance tests with concomitant insulin and C-peptide measurements (OGTT). PCOS questionnaires included all Rotterdam criteria, e. g. menstrual regularity before menopause, known PCO morphology, but also unfulfilled child wish and other data. PCOS women were BMI-matched to non-PCOS participants to investigate further interdependencies.

Results: Out of the BioPersMed participants, n = 305 women met the inclusion criteria, with a typical PCOS profile in n = 51 women (16. 7%), according to published prevalences. Only one of them was ever diagnosed with “PCOS” in the past. BMI was significantly higher in PCOS women; they had a higher prevalence for diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM). BMI-matched non-PCOS controls showed significantly lower androgens, but similar SHBG and parameters of glucose metabolism. Hypertension was more prevalent in PCOS-women and an unfulfilled child wish over time was significantly higher in PCOS women with 22. 2% vs. 2. 8%, P = 0. 024. Further analyses are on the way.

Conclusion: PCOS in the menopause is an important cardiovascular and metabolic risk factor in up to 20% of all women. While a retrospective diagnosis of certain features of PCOS might be questionable, postmenopausal women with PCOS could largely benefit from having an individual diagnosis and guidance. The medical community should increase their awareness for these women, as biomarker and functional data are increasingly available - especially in this large group of women, who rarely had the chance of a PCOS diagnosis at an earlier age with adequate therapy options, respectively.