INSULIN RESISTANCE AND POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

Insulin resistance (IR) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) appear as linked phenomena, although this is not easy to obviate in common fo rms of PCOS while it is evident in the rare cases of extreme IR and hy perinsulinism (HI). Experimental data indicate that insulin could inte rfere with the local insulin-like growth factor systems in ovaries, an d presumably in adrenals and in the hypothalamic pituitary system. The female puberty system offers a physiological model to explain the gon adotropic action of insulin. In patients with IR, HI could induce a st ate of hyperpuberty, leading to the constitution of PCOS during adoles cence.