Serum androgen levels and muscle mass in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective: To relate serum androgen levels and muscle size in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Methods: Forty-eight women with PCOS were studied. Baseline characteristics included age, height, weight, and hirsutism. Total-body lean mass was measured by whole-body scanning with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and the lean mass index (total-body lean mass/height(2): kg/m(2)) was calculated. Trunk-leg fat mass ratio (trunk-leg fat ratio) was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Serum testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and androstenedione levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. Subjects were arbitrarily divided into two groups according to lean mass index (lean mass index at least 14 kg/m(2), n = 24; or less than 14 kg/m(2), n = 24). Baseline characteristics and serum androgen levels were compared between the groups. In all subjects, lean mass index was correlated with age, height, trunk-leg fat ratio, and serum androgen levels. Results: Although trunk-leg fat ratio, serum testosterone and androstenedione levels, and the prevalence of hirsutism were significantly higher in women with a lean mass index at least 14 kg/m(2), age and height did not differ significantly between the groups. Trunk-leg fat ratio and serum testosterone and androstenedione levels correlated significantly with lean mass index (r = .68, .75, and .54, respectively). Hirsutism also correlated with lean mass index (standardized regression coefficient = .49; P < .05). Conclusion: Muscle size in women with PCOS correlated positively with serum androgen levels and upper body-fat distribution, independent of height. (C) 1999 by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.