Associations of insulin resistance, sex hormone-binding globulin, triglyceride, and hormonal profiles in polycystic ovary syndrome: A cross-sectional study

• Published in: International journal of reproductive biomedicine (Yazd, Iran) Iran), 2021-07, Vol.19 (7), p.653-662
• Main Authors: Jahromi, Bahia Namavar, Borzou, Niloofar, Parsanezhad, Mohammad Ebrahim, Anvar, Zahra, Ghaemmaghami, Parvin, Sabetian, Soudabeh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cross-sectional studies; Insulin resistance; Original; Ovaries; Polycystic ovary syndrome; sex hormone-binding globulin
• ISSN: 2476-4108; 2476-3772
• DOI: 10.18502/ijrm.v19i7.9476

Insulin resistance (IR) occurs in 50-70% of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and can be applied as a prediabetic feature in PCOS. In this study, indirect methods including fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting insulin (FI), FBS/FI ratio, and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) were compared with the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) as a standard technique. The association of IR to sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) and several hormones was also analyzed. This cross-sectional study was performed on 74 PCOS women. Sensitivity and specificity of each IR method was calculated based on HOMA-IR. Hormonal profiles of the patients were compared between the groups with defined normal and abnormal values of IR. Triglyceride levels had a positive association with FBS and HOMA-IR (p = 0.002 and p = 0.01, respectively) with a negative association to QUICKI and SHBG (p = 0.02 and p = 0.02, respectively). SHBG showed a significant negative association with FBS (p = 0.001). Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate showed a positive association with FI (p = 0.002). Seven PCOS women showed abnormal SHBG levels ( 36 nmol/L) while expressed normal values of the rest of the studied variables. FI and QUICKI had the highest sensitivity while FBS/FI and QUICKI had the highest specificity when HOMA-IR was applied as a standard test. SHBG and triglyceride had a significant negative and positive association with IR, respectively. HOMA-IR followed by FI and QUICKI is the most sensitive test for the detection of IR. SHBG levels can be a helpful biomarker for the diagnosis of PCOS.