Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun 29:14:2633494120913032.
doi: 10.1177/2633494120913032. eCollection 2020 Jan-Dec.

Controversies in the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome

Preetham Rao  1 , Priya Bhide  2
Affiliations
Review

Controversies in the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome

Preetham Rao et al. Ther Adv Reprod Health. .

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common endocrinological condition which is found to be prevalent in 5-10% of women of reproductive age. Historically, a combination of anovulation and androgen excess was considered a hallmark in the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Addition of ultrasound features of polycystic ovary syndrome has improved the detection of variation in the polycystic ovary syndrome phenotype. Despite the widespread use of consensus diagnostic criteria, there remain several unresolved controversies in the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. Difficulty arises in methods of assessment and types of androgens to be measured to detect biochemical hyperandrogenism, setting a cut-off value for the diagnosis of clinical hyperandrogenism, setting an ultrasound threshold of antral follicle count to diagnose polycystic ovaries and also diagnosing this condition in adolescence where there is no clear definition for 'irregular cycles'. This article looks at various controversies in the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Keywords: PCOS; diagnosis; polycystic ovary syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wolfe WM, Wattick RA, Kinkade ON, et al. Geographical prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome as determined by region and race/ethnicity. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018; 15: E2589. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stein IF, Leventhal ML. Amenorrhea associated with bilateral polycystic ovaries. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1935; 29: 181–191.
    1. Azziz R, Adashi EY. Stein and Leventhal: 80 years on. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2016; 214: 247.e1–247.e11. - PubMed
    1. Zawadzki JK, Dunaif A. Diagnostic criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome: towards a rational approach. In: Dunaif A, Givens J, Haseltine F, et al. (eds) Polycystic ovary syndrome. 1st ed Oxford: Blackwell Scientific, 1992, pp. 377–384.
    1. Revised 2003 consensus on diagnostic criteria and long-term health risks related to polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil Steril 2004; 81: 19–25. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources