Reproductive hormone characteristics of obese Chinese patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome: a meta-analysis

Abstract

The aim of this analysis is to assess the effect of obesity on reproductive hormones in Chineses patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Seven databases were searched. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) assessed the quality of included studies. A meta-analysis was performed using random-effects model. The means and standard deviations of the outcomes were synthesized as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 23 studies involving 4554 patients with PCOS were included. No significant differences in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (p = 0.51), estradiol (E2) (p = 0.48), and prolactin (PRL) (p = 0.46) levels were found between obese and nonobese PCOS patients. However, obese PCOS patients had significantly lower levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) (p < 0.00001), LH/FSH (p = 0.001), progesterone (P) (p = 0.009), and anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) (p = 0.001). Conversely, they exhibited significantly higher testosterone (T) (p = 0.001) levels. Obese PCOS patients exhibited lower levels of LH, LH/FSH, P, and AMH, but higher T levels compared to nonobese PCOS patients, and no significant difference were observed in FSH, E2, and PRL levels in PCOS patients with and without obesity.