Prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in young women who had idiopathic central precocious puberty

ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in a cohort of young women with previous idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) at least 3 years after menarche, and to look for any predictive factors of PCOS at the time ICPP was diagnosed.DesignLongitudinal study.SettingPediatrics unit, Verona, Italy.Patient(s)Forty-six young women (18.1 ± 3.0 years) who had been treated with GnRH analogues during childhood, observed at gynecologic age of 6.23 ± 3.3 years.Intervention(s)Semistructured interview concerning cycles, physical exam, blood sampling, and transabdominal pelvic ultrasound.Main Outcome Measure(s)Oligomenorrhea, LH, FSH, E2, T, DHEAS, free T, delta4-androstenedione, 17-OHP, P, polycystic ovary morphology (PCOM).Result(s)Fifteen percent of the young women had oligomenorrhea, 28% clinical hyperandrogenism, 48% biochemical hyperandrogenism, and 37% PCOM. A total of 32% of the patients had PCOS according to the Rotterdam definition and 30% had PCOS according to the Androgen Exess Society. The prevalent phenotype of PCOS was characterized by clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism and PCOM. We did not find any predictive factors for PCOS at the time ICPP was diagnosed.Conclusion(s)Patients with ICCP are prone to developing PCOS. The prominent phenotype in this cohort was PCOM associated with clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism. Further follow-ups of these young adult patients will clarify whether this phenotype persists and if it will have important long-term implications regarding increased risk of infertility or metabolic complications.