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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.

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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.

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