SERUM TOTAL RENIN IS ELEVATED IN WOMEN WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

Objective: To examine the serum total renin in women with polycystic o varian syndrome (PCOS) and in controls. Setting: Outpatient clinic of reproductive endocrinology at Turku University Central Hospital, Turku , Finland. Patients: Forty-four oligomenorrheic women with PCOS (body mass index [BMI] 18.0 to 49.0 kg/m(2)) and 25 control women with regul ar menstrual cycles (BMI 18.0 to 53.5 kg/m(2)). Main Outcome Measures: The concentrations of total renin, LH, FSH, T, androstenedione (A), s ex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and insulin in serum. Results: The concentration of total renin in serum was higher in PCOS women than i n healthy women independently of BMI, age, or serum insulin. The serum total renin measurement discriminated PCOS patients and control women to a similar extent as the previously used hormonal parameters (LH:FS H, T, A, and T:SHBG) as judged by receiver-operating characteristic an alysis. Positive correlations were found between the serum total renin level and LH concentration, LH:FSH ratio, T and A levels, and T:SHBG ratio. Analysis of serum total renin in PCOS patients during oligomeno rrhea and after menstruation did not reveal any significant changes. C onclusions: The elevated concentration of serum total renin suggests a n enhanced activity of ovarian renin-angiotensin system in PCOS. The d etermination of serum total renin may provide a novel tool in the diag nostics of PCOS, because its serum level is elevated in PCOS women ind ependently of BMI and serum insulin.