Polycystic ovaries in a woman who is destined to have this problem emerge very early, but this should not be confused with PCOS, a syndrome in which this symptom may be only one component, albeit an important one. But it is unusual for a woman who has the clinical syndrome, and perhaps polycystic ovaries, to have consistently normal ovulatory menses. Many women who report normal menses have anovulatory cycles. This syndrome also encompasses a spectrum of various degrees of endocrine manifestations. Dr. Lobo asked.
Diagnosis is in the eyes of the beholder.
If a patient has no external manifestations of androgen excess and normal ovulatory menses, regardless of whether she has polycystic ovaries, she should not be considered to have PCOS, according to Dr. Lobo. Insulin Resistance and PCOS Andrea Dunaif, MD PCOS is an endocrine syndrome. This raised, velvety skin lesion, which may or may not be hyperpigmented, is a marker for insulin resistance. In addition to glucose metabolism, insulin regulates protein and lipid synthesis, as well as gene transcription. In PCOS, an abnormality occurs in how the insulin receptor transmits signals, a very early abnormality compared with type II diabetes.