Endocrine Abstracts

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of anovulatory infertility. Although the cause of the anovulation is unknown there are a number of endocrine candidates; hyperinsulinaemia, raised steroid production and increased levels of the sexual differentiative factor anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). The latter is increasingly thought to be an inhibitor of folliculogenesis. Hyperinsulinaemia in PCOS is now widely treated with metformin and we have shown that thi...

AMH causes regression of Müllerian ducts during male fetal development. Recently, AMH was detected in the adult ovary, principally in granulosa cells (GCs). Studies have demonstrated a 1.5–5 fold increase in serum AMH in women with PCOS compared to normal ovulatory women. The AMH rise was assumed to be secondary to increased numbers of follicles. Interestingly, the insulin sensitiser metformin, which is in widespread use in PCOS, caused a significant reduction in ser...