Low-dose gonadotropin induction of ovulation in anovulatory women: still needed in the age of IVF.

Low-dose, step-up gonadotropin is the treatment of choice for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who have not conceived after anti-oestrogen treatment and as an effective alternative to pulsatile GnRH in women with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH). There has been, however, no large-scale, comparative study between the two groups using low-dose gonadotropins. Here, we performed a retrospective, comparative analysis, in a single clinic database, of efficacy and safety of induction of ovulation using low-dose gonadotropins in 364 women with PCOS and 80 women with HH.

Ovarian morphology is a marker of heritable biochemical traits in sisters with polycystic ovaries.

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy of uncertain etiology but with strong evidence for a genetic contribution.

Objective: The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that the typical polycystic ovarian morphology is a marker of inherited biochemical features in families of women with PCOS.

Design: A study of probands with PCOS and their sisters.

Infertility in polycystic ovary syndrome: focus on low-dose gonadotropin treatment.

Polycystic ovary syndrome accounts for more than 75% of cases of anovulatory infertility. The mechanism of anovulation is uncertain but there is evidence that arrested antral follicle development is associated with the abnormal endocrine profile, in particular the interaction of insulin and LH on granulosa cell differentiation. In terms of management, induction of ovulation can be achieved in most cases by the use of antiestrogens.

Prevalence of polycystic ovaries in women with androgenic alopecia.

Objective: Although androgenic alopecia is recognised to be a symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), it is not known whether polycystic ovaries (PCO) and associated endocrine abnormalities are present in patients who present with alopecia as a primary complaint. We therefore set out to determine the strength of the association between androgenic alopecia and PCO. We examined the prevalence of ultrasound-based polycystic ovarian morphology and associated clinical and biochemical features in a large multiethnic group of women whose presenting complaint was of alopecia, and in a control group.