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
. 2022 May 5;11(9):2597.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11092597.

Parameters for Calcium Metabolism in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Who Undergo Stimulation with Letrozole: A Prospective Cohort Study

Iris Holzer  1 , John Preston Parry  2   3 , Klara Beitl  1 , Boban Pozderovic  1 , Rodrig Marculescu  4 , Johannes Ott  1
Affiliations

Parameters for Calcium Metabolism in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Who Undergo Stimulation with Letrozole: A Prospective Cohort Study

Iris Holzer et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

For women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and infertility, stimulation with the aromatase-inhibitor letrozole has been recommended as a first-line for ovulation induction. Calcium-associated signaling has also been a component for other ovulation induction and superovulation medications. This study’s aim was to evaluate parameters of calcium metabolism in PCOS women. In a prospective cohort study, 61 anovulatory, infertile PCOS patients who underwent letrozole stimulation were included. Outcome measures were: follicular maturation after letrozole stimulation; parathyroid hormone (PTH); 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3); serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, albumin, and total protein. Successful recruitment of a dominant follicle was achieved in 35 patients (57.4%). Women with and without successful follicular development did not differ in serum levels of PTH (38.4 ± 19.7 vs. 39.6 ± 16.2 pg/mL), 25OHD3 (62.5 ± 32.1 vs. 65.4 ± 30.9 nmol/L), calcium (2.36 ± 0.08 vs. 2.37 ± 0.12 mmol/L), or protein (70.2 ± 13.3 vs. 74.0 ± 3.7 g/L), respectively (p > 0.05). However, women who were not responsive to letrozole for ovulation induction demonstrated higher anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels (9.7 ± 4.7 vs. 5.0 ± 3.2 ng/mL, p = 0.005). In conclusion, the success of letrozole stimulation in women with PCOS is independent from calcium metabolism parameters. However, AMH levels seem predictive of medication resistance.

Keywords: calcium metabolism; letrozole; ovarian stimulation; polycystic ovarian syndrome; vitamin D.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ott reports personal fees from Lenus Pharma GesmbH (Vienna, Austria), outside the submitted work. All other authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Jin P., Xie Y. Treatment strategies for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Gynecol. Endocrinol. 2018;34:272–277. doi: 10.1080/09513590.2017.1395841. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Boomsma C.M., Eijkemans M.J., Hughes E.G., Visser G.H., Fauser B.C., Macklon N.S. A meta-analysis of pregnancy outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Hum. Reprod. Update. 2006;12:673–683. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dml036. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rotterdam EA-SPCWG Revised 2003 consensus on diagnostic criteria and long-term health risks related to polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil. Steril. 2004;81:19–25. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2003.10.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lizneva D., Suturina L., Walker W., Brakta S., Gavrilova-Jordan L., Azziz R. Criteria, prevalence, and phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertil. Steril. 2016;106:6–15. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2016.05.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bansal S., Goyal M., Sharma C., Shekhar S. Letrozole versus clomiphene citrate for ovulation induction in anovulatory women with polycystic ovarian syndrome: A randomized controlled trial. Int. J. Gynaecol. Obstet. 2021;152:345–350. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.13375. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources