Polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity in adolescents

Nearly 20% of the adolescent females in Germany are overweight. A typical comorbidity of overweight is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The diagnosis of PCOS in adolescents needs to be based on the criteria hyperandrogenemia and/or hirsutism as well as oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea. All other diseases with hyperandrogenism need to be excluded. PCOS is caused, among other things, by insulin resistance, which is increased particularly in central obesity. Therefore, other diseases associated with insulin resistance such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or fatty liver are frequent in girls with PCOS. The treatment of choice for obesity and PCOS is weight reduction, which is difficult to achieve in clinical practice. Drug treatment for hirsutism or menstrual irregularities depends on the accompanying risk factors.