Correlation of serum dihydrotestosterone level and total testosterone to dihydrotestosterone ratio in polycystic ovary syndrome patients with clinical and metabolic manifestations

Abstract

Poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous clinical and biochemical syndrome that usually manifests during adolescence and affects different aspects of women's health. It has a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations including hyperandrogenism and metabolic disturbances. In this paper it was tried to measure serum dihydrotestosterone level and serum total testosterone to dihydrotestosterone ratio in PCOS patients as new markers and find their relations to clinical manifestations and metabolic phenotype in these patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 30 PCOS patients fulfilling Rotterdam 2003 criteria. Clinical manifestations including acne, alopecia, hirsutism, BMI, fertility and menstruation status have been assessed in all subjects. FBS, serum Insulin level, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, DHEAS, prolactin, dihydrotestosterone and total testosterone were measured in patients. Insulin resistance were assessed according to the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). Results: Patients with insulin resistance showed significantly higher TT/DHT ratio (P value < 0.05). This correlation was not obtained with DHT levels. (P value >0.05). The TT/DHT ratio had significant correlation with FBS (P value <0.05). Also, significant correlation was found between BMI and DHT levels (P value <0.05). The TT/DHT ratio was significantly lower in patients with regular menses compared to those with oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea (P value < 0.05). There were no correlations between TT/DHT ratio and DHT levels with other clinical manifestations and lipid profiles (P value >0.05).