Infertility Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Infertility, including details on male and female infertility, treatment, causes, pregnancy.

The Pregnancy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome study: baseline characteristics of the randomized cohort including racial effects.

Legro RS, Myers ER, Barnhart HX, Carson SA, Diamond MP, Carr BR, Schlaff WD, Coutifaris C, McGovern PG, Cataldo NA, Steinkampf MP, Nestler JE, Gosman G, Guidice LC, Leppert PC,

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033, USA. RSL1@PSU.EDU

OBJECTIVE: To report the baseline characteristics and racial differences in the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotype from a large multicenter clinical trial (PPCOS). DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized trial of three treatment regimens (with extended release metformin or clomiphene citrate). SETTING: Academic medical centers. PATIENT(S): Six hundred twenty-six infertile women with PCOS, aged 18-39 years, with elevated T levels and oligomenorrhea (exclusion of secondary causes), seeking pregnancy, with > or = 1 patent fallopian tube, normal uterine cavity, and a partner with sperm concentration > or = 20 x 10(6)/mL in > or = 1 ejaculate. INTERVENTION(S): Baseline characterization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Historical, biometric, and biochemical measures of PCOS. RESULT(S): There were no significant differences in baseline variables between treatment groups. The overall mean (+/-SD) age of the subjects was 28.1 +/- 4.0 years, and the mean body mass index was 35.2 kg/m2 (+/-8.7). Polycystic ovaries (PCOs) were present in 90.3% of the subjects, and the mean volume of each ovary was 10 cm3 or more. Of the subjects, 7% had ovaries that were discordant for PCO morphology. At baseline, 18.3% of the subjects had an abnormal fasting glucose level (> 100 mg/dL). Asians tended to have a milder phenotype, and whites and African Americans were similar in these measures. CONCLUSION(S): The treatment groups were well matched for baseline parameters, and we have added further information to the PCOS phenotype.

Published 9 October 2006 in Fertil Steril, 86(4): 914-33.
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