Sensitive and specific markers for insulin resistance, hyperandrogenemia, and inappropriate gonadotrophin secretion in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a case-control study from Bahrain.

Background: In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), despite a high prevalence of insulin resistance, hyperandrogenemia, and disturbances in the secretion of gonadotrophin, the principal causes of biochemical abnormalities and the best endocrine markers for PCOS have not been fully identified.

Subjects And Methods: Serum levels of insulin, glucose, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), total testosterone, estrogen, sex hormone-binding capacity (SHBG), and other related indices such as homeostasis model assessment, insulin glucose ratios, LH/FSH ratios, and the free androgen index (FAI) were determined and compared in women with PCOS (n = 50) and women without PCOS (n = 50).

Results: In multivariate logistic regression analyses, among all insulin resistance indices, only hyperinsulinemia (odds ratio [OR] = 2.