Insulin and androgen relationships with abdominal body fat distribution in women with and without hyperandrogenism.

This retrospective study was carried out to investigate, in a large group of hyperandrogenized women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and nonhyperandrogenized control women, the interrelationships between sex steroids and indices of body fat distribution. Moreover, we investigated the relationships between these parameters and insulin blood levels, since obese women with abdominal pattern of fat distribution (A-BFD), as well as those with PCOS (either obese and nonobese) are characterized by moderate to severe hyperinsulinemia. A sample of 100 women with PCOS and that of 138 women without clinical signs of hyperandrogenism, who served as a control group, were investigated.