Insulin resistance and polycystic ovarian syndrome

Abstract

Insulin resistance (IR) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) appear as linked phenomena, although this is not easy to obviate in common forms of PCOS while it is evident in the rare cases of extreme IR and hyperinsulinism (HI). Experimental data indicate that insulin could interfere with the local insulin-like growth factor systems in ovaries, and presumably in adrenals and in the hypothalamic pituitary system. The female puberty system offers a physiological model to explain the gonadotropic action of insulin. In patients with IR, HI could induce a state of hyperpuberty, leading to the constitution of PCOS during adolescence.