The following are the most important diseases or complications that may be contributed to by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO syndrome):
Endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).
- Anovulatory cycles (cycles without ovulation; approximately 30%).
- Diabetes mellitus type 2
- Hyperlipidemia (lipid metabolism disorder)
- Metabolic syndrome*
- Reduced insulin sensitivity (sensitivity of body cells or insulin receptors to insulin) and hyperinsulinemia (presence of elevated blood insulin levels (fasting insulin > 17 mU/l)) (50% of all PCO patients, regardless of body weight).
Liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts – Pancreas (pancreas) (K70-K77; K80-K87).
- Steatosis hepatis (fatty liver).
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).
- Osteopenia (reduction in bone density).
Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48).
- Endometrial carcinoma (cancer of the uterus)
- In premenopausal carcinoma, there appears to be a closer association with PCO syndrome
- Risk of endometrial carcinoma was increased by a factor of 6.42 in premenopausal patients with PCO syndrome
- Ovarian carcinoma (ovarian cancer).
- Increased risk in women with PCO syndrome before age 54; especially for less aggressive endometrioid ovarian cancer.
- Risk of ovarian cancer was increased by a factor of 2.16 in patients with PCO syndrome
- Renal cell carcinoma (hypernephroma) – premenopausal patients (HR 4.57).
- Pancreatic cancer (cancer of the pancreas) – premenopausal patients (HR 6.68).
Note: The increase in risk for the above tumor types was increased by a relative 22% only up to the onset of menopause (in Sweden, the mean age was approximately 51 years) (only 1% in the elderly).
Psyche – Nervous System (F00-F99; G00-G99).
- Depression – Daughters of PCO patients, like their mothers, are more likely to suffer from depression; animal studies blame this on increased androgen concentrations in the mother’s blood during pregnancy.
- Insomnia (sleep disorders)
Pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium (O00-O99)
- Abortion (miscarriage)
- Preterm birth (2.20-fold; CI 1.59-3.04)
- Gestational diabetes (GDM; diabetes in pregnancy) (2.82-fold; CI 1.94-4.11).
- Macrosomia (large for gestational age, LGA) (1.56-fold; CI 0.92-2.64).
- Preeclampsia ((EPH-gestosis or proteinuric hypertension) (4.23-fold; CI 2.77-6.46).
- Pregnancy-induced hypertension/hypertension (SIH) (4.07-fold; CI 2.75-6.02).
- Growth retardation (small for gestational age, SGA)) (2.62-fold; CI 1.35-5.10)
Genitourinary system (kidneys, urinary tract – reproductive organs) (N00-N99).
- Subfertility (40-90%)
Operations
- Sectio caesarea (cesarean section) (1.41 times; CI 0.96-2.07)
* Metabolic syndrome is defined by the following commonly present criteria:
- Obesity – overweight with increased waist circumference (≥ 94 cm in men; ≥ 80 cm in women).
- Elevated fasting blood glucose levels* * – ≥ 100 mg/dl or ≥ 5.6 mmol/L
- Hypertension – high blood pressure with values > 130/85 mmHg.
- Hypertriglyceridemia (VLDL triglycerides) – elevated blood lipid levels ( ≥ 150 mg/dl).
- Low HDL cholesterol – so-called “good cholesterol” ( < 40 mg/dl in men; < 50 mg/dl in women).
* * Patients with PCO syndrome are considered a high-risk group for metabolic disorders. Therefore, a 75 oGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) should be performed as a screening procedure in the sense of primary prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus and repeated at 3-5-year intervals.
