PCOS Causes

Inadequate adiponectin production causes PCOS

Fat tissue in women with PCOS produces an inadequate amount of adiponectin, the hormone that regulates how fats and glucose are processed, promoting increased insulin resistance and inflammation, glucose intolerance, and greater risk of diabetes and heart disease, according to a study conducted at the Center for Androgen-Related Research and Discovery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In the study, adiponectin was lacking in PCOS patients whose weight was considered to be in a healthy range, as well as in those patients who were overweight.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202101253.htm

D-chiro-inositol levels are lower in women with PCOS

Urinary clearance of D-chiro-inositol is inversely correlated with insulin sensitivity in women and is a strong independent predictor of insulin resistance in multivariate models. The urinary clearance of D-chiro-inositol was increased almost sixfold in PCOS compared with normal women, but not myo-inositol clearance. PCOS, which is characterized by insulin resistance, is associated with a selective increase in urinary clearance of D-chiro-inositol and impaired D-chiro-inositol containing-IPG release in response to insulin. These findings are consistent with a defect in tissue availability or utilization of D-chiro-inositol in PCOS that may contribute to the insulin resistance of the syndrome.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16443877

Obesity causes PCOS

Overweight and obese women appear five times as likely as lean women to have PCOS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100621143602.htm

Insulin resistance causes excess testosterone seen in PCOS

The combination of having ovaries which are responsive to insulin and high insulin levels in the blood, can result in the overproduction of testosterone.

http://www.uchospitals.edu/specialties/pcos/pcos.html

Elevated insulin causes more potent testosterone to be produced in PCOS

Insulin seems to enhance 5alpha reduction of steroids (conversion of testosterone into the more potent dihydrotestosterone) in PCOS but was not associated with the elevated cortisol production rate.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14671189

Insulin resistance in PCOS causes GnRH levels to go up

Hyperinsulinemia increases GNRH pulse activity leading to disorderly LH and FSH activity, as seen in Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonadotropin-releasing_hormone

Estrogen, testosterone or cortisone can cause PCOS in mice

Female mice and rats injected with estrogen perinatally become anovulatory and develop follicular cysts. We propose that in utero exposure to excessive levels of steroids such as estrogen has a long-term effect on the ability of the thymus to produce regulatory T cells. In female offspring this can lead to PCOS. Basic symptoms of PCOS such as anovulation and follicular cysts are produced in female mice by injecting them with estrogen, testosterone, or cortisone (similar to the stress hormone cortisol) prior to 10-days of age .

http://www.rbej.com/content/7/1/47

High LH causes high testosterone, which causes PCOS

PCOS develops when the ovaries overproduce androgens (eg, testosterone). Androgen overproduction often results from overproduction of LH (luteinizing hormone), which is produced by the pituitary gland.