Association between serum gonadotropin level and insulin resistance-related parameters in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relationship between serum gonadotropin level and parameters related to insulin resistance in Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS This retrospective study included 138 women aged 18 to 35 years who were newly diagnosed with PCOS according to the Rotterdam consensus. Participants were divided into three groups based on the serum luteinizing hormone to follicle-stimulating hormone (LH/FSH) ratio in the early follicular phase: group 1 (LH/FSH <1), group 2 (1.0≤ LH/FSH >2.0), and group 3 (LH/FSH ≥2.0). The correlations between the LH/FSH ratio and various metabolic parameters were evaluated using Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS Patients with higher LH/FSH ratios showed higher total antral follicle counts and higher total ovarian volume. In the comparison of anthropometric and biochemical parameters among the three groups, the waist to hip ratio was the only parameter that differed significantly among the groups (P=0.003). Correlation analysis revealed no significant correlations between serum LH/FSH ratios and biochemical parameters related to insulin resistance. However, after adjustments for age and body mass index, a significant correlation between total cholesterol level and serum LH/FSH ratio was observed (r=0.221, P=0.018). CONCLUSION Most parameters related to insulin resistance, with the exception of total cholesterol level, are unrelated to the inappropriate pattern of serum gonadotropin secretion in Korean women with PCOS.