Serum Leptin & Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1(IGF-1) Levels in Woman with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous syndrome characterized clinically by oligo or amenorrhea, hyper-androgenism and the accumulation of multiple subcapsular cystic follicles in the ovary. Women with PCOS seldom ovulate because follicle growth arrests at the small antral stage and large preovulatory follicles rarely develop. PCOS women are frequently associated with obesity and insulin resistance.Leptin, the product of ob gene, is an adipocyte secreted molecule that signals the magnitude of energy stores to the brain and has been shown to have important effect on the reproductive axis of rodents. To assess the potential contribution of leptin to the pathogenesis of PCOS, we measured serum Iepim levels in 50 women with PCOS will: either amenorrhea or oligomcnorrhea and in 30 normal healthy control women with regular menstrual cycles.Women with PCVS were subdivided into obese group (n = 2: ans non obese group (n = 2.5) where obesity was defined as BMI > 25 k/m2. PCOS morphology was confirmed by visual inspection of the ovaries, laparoscopy or by ultrasound examination. The normal healthy control women were also subdivided into obese group (n = 15) and non obese group (n = 15), they were in the mid follicular phase (days 5 = S) of their cycles.Fasting blood samples were obtained from all subjects, sera were separated by centrifugation and stored at -70 °C until analysis of leptin, IGF-1, insulin, L,H, FSH and T using ELISA technique and Androstenedione and SHUG using RA technique.