Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition that affects how a woman's ovaries work.
The 3 main features of PCOS are:

  • irregular periods – which means your ovaries do not regularly release eggs (ovulation)
  • excess androgen – high levels of "male" hormones in your body, which may cause physical signs such as excess facial or body hair
  • polycystic ovaries – your ovaries become enlarged and contain many fluid-filled sacs (follicles) that surround the eggs (but despite the name, you do not actually have cysts if you have PCOS)

If you have at least 2 of these features, you may be diagnosed with PCOS.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a major endocrinopathy among reproductive-aged women. It affects 4%–20% of women of reproductive age worldwide. Up to 10% of women are diagnosed with PCOS during gynecologic visits. In some European studies, the prevalence of PCOS has been reported to be 6.5-8%.
The exact cause of PCOS is unknown, but it often runs in families. It's related to abnormal hormone levels in the body, including high levels of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that controls sugar levels in the body. Many women with PCOS are resistant to the action of insulin in their body and produce higher levels of insulin to overcome this. This contributes to the increased production and activity of hormones like testosterone. Being overweight or obese also increases the amount of insulin your body produces.

Myo-inositol

Myo-inositol (MI) increases insulin sensitivity, decreases hyperandrogenism and improves the menstrual cycle. Its effect during assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has been studied by many authors. We conducted a review of the literature on the impact of MI administration in PCOS women in assisted reproductive technologies. Myo-inositol is effective in normalizing ovarian function, improving oocyte and embryo quality in PCOS Reproductive Health volume 18, Article number: 13 (2021), Published: 19 January 2021 Because Myo-Inositol supplementation reduces the rFSH IU administrated during IVF cycles, it is likely that the putative Myo-Inositol deficiency in the ovary would also impair the FSH signaling, resulting in an increased risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome for PCOS patients. Therefore, we could speak of a “D-Chiro-Inositol paradox”: indeed, although D-Chiro-Inositol paradox is useful in the treatment of PCOS patients to reduce Insulin Resistance, it has no effect at ovarian level as Myo-Inositol does. Fertility and Sterility Volume 95, Issue 8, 30 June 2011, Pages 2515-2516, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.05.027

** All data above are published as clinical trials and do not refer to EFSA claims. This means that they do not intend to be medical or therapeutical advice.