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
Practice Guideline
. 2025 Mar 8;23(1):37.
doi: 10.1186/s12958-025-01372-5.

Diagnosis and management of infertility in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): guidelines from the Italian Society of Human Reproduction (SIRU) and the Italian Centers for the Study and Conservation of Eggs and Sperm (CECOS Italy)

Stefano Palomba  1 , Giuseppe Seminara  2 , Francesco Tomei  3 , Angelo Marino  4 , Giuseppe Morgante  5 , Domenico Baldini  6 , Enrico Papaleo  7 , Guglielmo Ragusa  8 , Antonio Aversa  2 , Adolfo Allegra  4 , Antonino Guglielmino  9 , Edgardo Somigliana  10 ; SIRU-CECOS Working Group on Italian Guideline for Infertility in PCOS
Collaborators, Affiliations
Practice Guideline

Diagnosis and management of infertility in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): guidelines from the Italian Society of Human Reproduction (SIRU) and the Italian Centers for the Study and Conservation of Eggs and Sperm (CECOS Italy)

Stefano Palomba et al. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. .

Abstract

The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a multifaced disease of the reproductive age associated with several comorbidities including infertility. Very few documents regarding the management of the infertility in women with PCOS, including guidelines, position papers and consensus conferences, are available in the literature. The Italian Law indicates that health professionals must comply with the recommendations set out in the guidelines developed by public and private bodies and institutions, as well as scientific societies and technical-scientific associations of the health professions, except for specific cases. Unfortunately, no guideline for the diagnosis and the management of infertility in women with PCOS is currently available in Italy. In 2024, the Italian Society of Human Reproduction (SIRU) and the Italian Centers for the Study and Conservation of Eggs and Sperm (CECOS Italy) pointed out the need to produce Italian guidelines on this topic and established a specific working group to develop those guidelines. The working group chose to adapt the guideline with highest quality to the Italian context rather than developing a de novo document. The International Evidence-Based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of PCOS guidelines were selected. All recommendations regarding the diagnosis and the management of women with PCOS and infertility extracted, adapted to the Italian context and improved incorporating new recommendations or practical comments and suggestions where needed.

Keywords: Guidelines; Infertility; Management; PCOS; Polycystic ovary syndrome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Guideline development process. PICO model: Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes model; GDG: Guideline Development Group; GRADE frameworks: Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation Evidence to Decision frameworks; RCTs: randomized controlled trials
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
(Algorithm 1). Strategy for the management and treatment of infertile patients with PCOS according to SIRU and CECOS Italy guidelines. AMH: anti-Mullerian hormone, CC: clomiphene citrate, IVF: in vitro fertilization, PCOM: polycystic ovarian morphology, PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome, US: ultrasound
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dumesic DA, Oberfield SE, Stener-Victorin E, Marshall JC, Laven JS, Legro RS. Scientific statement on the diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and molecular genetics of polycystic ovary syndrome. Endocr Rev. 2015;36:487–525. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Palomba S. Is fertility reduced in ovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome? An opinion paper Hum Reprod. 2021;36:2421–8. - PubMed
    1. Teede HJ, Tay CT, Laven J, Dokras A, Moran LJ, Piltonen TT, Costello MF, Boivin J, Redman LM, Boyle JA, Norman RJ, Mousa A, Joham AE; International PCOS network. recommendations from the. International Evidence-based Guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome. Hum Reprod. 2023;2023:1655–79.
    1. Balen AH, Tamblyn J, Skorupskaite K, Munro MG. FIGO Committee on Menstrual Disorders and Related Health Impacts and Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology and Infertility. A comprehensive review of the new FIGO classification of ovulatory disorders. Hum Reprod Update. 2024;30:355–82. - PubMed
    1. Palomba S, Piltonen TT, Giudice LC. Endometrial function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a comprehensive review. Hum Reprod Update. 2021;27:584–618. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources