Endocrine Abstracts

PCOS is a common endocrinopathy in women that has traditionally been viewed as an ovarian disorder. Accordingly, the classic therapeutic approach, even in adolescents without pregnancy risk, is to silence the ovaries with an oral contraceptive (OC). Recent evidence indicates that PCOS is primarily a disorder of adipose-tissue hyperexpansion that may originate in early life, develop across childhood and puberty, and reach a full-blown stage in adolescence, manifesting with ovul...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder often emerging post-menarche, and hallmarked by androgen excess and a low ovulation rate. Less consistently, PCOS is characterized by hyperinsulinemic insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, increased abdominal adiposity, low-grade inflammation, and the presence of polycystic ovaries (PCO) on ultrasound.At least two developmental pathways seem to lead to PCOS. One begins with a normal prenatal growth and co...

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common cause of hirsutism & menstrual irregularity in adolescent girls. It is often accompanied by obesity and insulin resistance and associated to lifelong co-morbidities including reduced fertility, type 2 diabetes, premenopausal cancer, depression, and pregnancy and offspring complications. There is no approved therapy for PCOS in adolescent girls. Oral contraceptives (OCs) are prescribed off-label to approximately 98% of young PCOS...