Insulin resistance
A majority of women with PCOS have insulin resistance and/or are obese. Their elevated insulin levels contribute to or cause the abnormalities seen in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis that lead to PCOS. Hyperinsulinemia increases GnRH pulse frequency, LH over FSH dominance, increased ovarian androgen production, decreased follicular maturation, and decreased SHBG binding. Furthermore, excessive insulin, acting through its cognate receptor in the presence of component cAMP signalling, upregulates 17α-hydroxylase activity via PI3K, 17α-hydroxylase activity being responsible for synthesising androgen precursors. The combined effects of hyperinsulinemia contribute to an increased risk of PCOS. Insulin resistance is a common finding among women with a normal weight as well as overweight women.