Polycystic ovary syndrome and ovarian autoimmunity - assessment of ovarianantibodies by EIA

There are conflicting reports of an association of ovarian antibodies, dete cted by immunofluorescence, with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The obje ctive of this study was to evaluate the association of ovarian autoimmunity with PCOS. A validated immunoassay for ovarian antibodies was used to asse ss serum from women with PCOS and with menopause and normal cycling women a s controls. The frequency of ovarian antibodies was similar (25%) among the controls and PCOS. Thus, unlike the association of ovarian antibodies dete cted with this test in patients with unexplained infertility and premature menopause, the prevalence of ovarian antibody in patients with PCOS is not significantly different to controls. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.