The Relationship between Bone Mineral Density and Menstrual Cycle Abnormalities in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of menstrual dysfunction in the form of oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea on bone mineral density (BMD) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Study Design. Eighteen amenorrheic, 32 oligomenorrheic and 50 normally mensturating polycystic women participated in this study. Every woman underwent measurements of lumbar spine, femoral neck, wards, trochanter, shaft and total hip BMD by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Results. The difference of mean serum total testosterone levels between groups were statically significant (p<0.01). The bone density of the lumbar spine (L2-L4) in the group of the amenorrheic women was 0.97 +/- 0.09, significantly lower than that in the eumenorrheic group (1.12 +/- 0.07 SD; p=0.001) and the oligomenorrheic group (1.05 +/- 0.05; p=0.001). Conclusions. PCOS patients with amenorrhea have lower BMD than PCOS with eumenorrhea and oligomenorrhea. Amenorrhea is the one of the reasons of lower bone mineral density in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.