Hyperandrogenaemia, polycystic ovary syndrome, and physical fitness in women-a Northern Finland birth cohort study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the independent associations of hyperandrogenaemia (HA) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with physical fitness in women among the general population.

Design: A population-based birth cohort study including 5889 women.

Methods: Longitudinal associations of serum testosterone (T), free androgen index (FAI), and PCOS with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) (measured by heart rate after a submaximal exercise test) and grip strength over the 31 to 46 years of age timespan were examined using multivariable linear mixed models adjusted for time, body mass index, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, physical activity and smoking. The results are reported as regression coefficients (β) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals [95% CI].

Results: The third and fourth T and FAI quartiles were associated positively with higher heart rate after the submaximal exercise test in multivariable models indicating poorer CRF compared with women in Q1 of T and FAI (Q3: β of T = 1.58 [95% CI: 0.21 to 2.96], β of FAI = 1.97 [0.54 to 3.39]; Q4: β of T = 1.88 [0.46 to 3.30], β of FAI = 2.70 [1.15 to 4.25]). The second, third, and fourth quartiles of FAI were associated with higher grip strength in multivariable models compared with women in Q1 (Q2: β = 0.59 [0.04 to 1.14], Q3: β = 0.74 [0.16 to 1.30], Q4: β = 0.68 [0.06 to 1.27]). Excluding women with PCOS did not alter these results, while PCOS itself was not associated with CRF or grip strength.

Conclusion: Hyperandrogenaemia in premenopausal women was associated with poorer CRF but better grip strength, independently of PCOS, which suggests that HA, rather than PCOS, has an independent and complex association with physical fitness in premenopausal women.

Keywords: PCOS; hyperandrogenaemia; physical fitness; physical performance; testosterone.