On the basis of these observations, the researchers decided to test the adrenal functioning of women with PCOS.Ī total of 38 women with PCOS volunteered for the study, along with 20 healthy women, who served as a comparison, or control group.
In their article, the researchers noted that earlier studies had found that in some women with PCOS, androgens were produced by the adrenal glands, rather than by the ovaries. The study’s first author is Evgenia Gourgari, M.D., of Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., who was a research fellow at NICHD when the study was conducted. The study was published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. “Our findings indicate that a subgroup of patients could conceivably benefit from modification of adrenal hormones as well.” “Traditionally, treatment for PCOS has included modifying ovarian hormones,” said Constantine Stratakis, M.D., director of intramural research at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and senior author of the study. Treatment may include drugs that block androgens, and oral contraceptives, which contain the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Women with PCOS may have irregular, missing, or prolonged menstrual periods, excessive facial and body hair, insulin resistance, and problems with fertility. In many women with the condition, the ovaries contain numerous small, cyst-like sacs. PCOS is a group of symptoms related to high levels of hormones known as androgens. Constantine Stratakis, M.D., Director, Intramural Research Program, NICHD
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