PCOS in lesbian and heterosexual women treated with artificial donor insemination

It has been claimed that the prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is significantly higher in lesbian compared with heterosexual women. The present study tried to corroborate this finding in a population of lesbian and heterosexual women consulting for artificial insemination with donor spermatozoa (AID) in the authors' infertility centre. Separate Rotterdam criteria were compared, as well as the outcome of AID. Data were collected from patient files and 174 lesbian and 200 heterosexual women were included in this study. The diagnosis of PCOS was made following the Rotterdam PCOS consensus workshop group. A total of 8.0% of the lesbian women had PCOS compared with 8.7% of the heterosexual women. Concerning the presence of polycystic ovaries and cycle length and regularity, no significant differences were found. Conclusions about hirsutism and chemical hyperandrogenism were not made. Statistical analysis did not show any difference for the type and outcome of treatment. This study does not confirm a link between sexual orientation and the diagnosis of PCOS. The absence of a significant difference in therapy type and outcome emphasizes that there is no difference in (in)fertility rates between the study groups.