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Introduction

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Infertility in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

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Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex syndrome affecting a considerable but variable proportion of women in reproductive age. Even if consensus statements underline that the reproductive outcomes in women with PCOS are worst only in the presence of oligo-anovulation, translational data on the reproductive compartments (i.e., ovary, oocyte, endometrium, etc.) demonstrate specificities in PCOS. Patients with PCOS have several comorbidities (i.e., obesity, insulin resistance, etc.) closely related to infertility and poor reproductive outcomes, and clinical data show a high rate of hospital admissions for infertility diagnosis and treatment in women with PCOS. Moreover, women with PCOS seem to have reproductive chances better than that expected. The heterogeneity of the phenotypes and the features of the syndrome certainly influence these findings. The current chapter will introduce in a provocative fashion the controversies on fertility and subfertility in women with PCOS discussed in the further chapters of the book.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Gynecology and Obstetrics, IRCCS–Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42123, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Stefano Palomba

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  1. Stefano Palomba
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Correspondence to Stefano Palomba .

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  1. Unit of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, ASMN-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy

    Stefano Palomba

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Palomba, S. (2018). Introduction. In: Palomba, S. (eds) Infertility in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45534-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45534-1_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-45533-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-45534-1

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