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Clinical Features of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

  • Chapter
Androgen Excess Disorders in Women

Part of the book series: Contemporary Endocrinology ((COE))

Abstract

The features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may be elicitable on obtaining the history or on physical exam. Biochemical or radiographic evaluation may also reveal additional features (see Chapters 16 and 17). The medical history will provide important information regarding the presenting complaint, the onset and progression of hyperandrogenic signs and symptoms, menstrual dysfunction and irregularity, and weight gain. Usually, the development of hyperandrogenism in PCOS is slowly progressive, with stable symptomatology by the mid to late 30s. As expected, the vast majority of patients with PCOS will present with a history of oligo-amenorrhea, although a few may present with a history of eumenorrhea or polymenorrhea. Some may relate a history of peripubertal weight gain, and early development of obesity can be associated with the development of PCOS. In addition, many patients have symptoms suggestive of obstructive sleep apnea. The family history is frequently informative, indicating that relatives demonstrated hyperandrogenic symptoms reminiscent of PCOS or suffered from metabolic disorders most notably type 2 diabetes mellitus. Features of PCOS that may be elicited upon the physical exam include dermatological evidence of hyperandrogenism (hirsutism, acne, or alopecia), evidence of android body fat distribution, and evidence of metabolic dysfunction, including acanthosis and acrochordons. Clinical features of virilization or Cushing’s syndrome are not seen in patients with PCOS, generally representing the presence of androgen-secreting neoplasms or Cushing’s disease. In general, the findings elicited by the medical history and physical exam provide the strongest suggestion that the patient suffers from PCOS, and biochemical and radiographic evaluation only provide confirmatory evidence or exclude related disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Endocrinology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY

    Walter Futterweit

  2. Department of Medicine, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece

    Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Medicine, The David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, CA

    Ricardo Azziz

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  1. Walter Futterweit
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  2. Evanthia Diamanti-Kandarakis
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  3. Ricardo Azziz
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Androgen Related Disorders, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Medicine, The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA

    Ricardo Azziz MD, MPH, MBA

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

    John E. Nestler MD

  3. Department of Endocrine Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France

    Didier Dewailly MD

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Futterweit, W., Diamanti-Kandarakis, E., Azziz, R. (2006). Clinical Features of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. In: Azziz, R., Nestler, J.E., Dewailly, D. (eds) Androgen Excess Disorders in Women. Contemporary Endocrinology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-179-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-179-6_14

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