BOSTON — Women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian morphology and normal menstrual cycles do not appear to be at significant risk for developing polycystic ovary syndrome, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.
Researchers at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston followed 40 women with regular menstrual cycles and either normal or polycystic ovarian morphology to see which women would develop polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The women were followed for 1.7 to 17.5 years after an initial ultrasound and given a follow-up ultrasound by the same ultrasonographer.
The researchers defined polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM) as an ovary with 12 or more follicles of 2 to 10 mm in a single plane or an ovarian volume of more than 10 mL without a dominant follicle.
At baseline, 17 women had normal morphology and 23 were diagnosed with PCOM. The average age at baseline was 30, according to study presenter Meagan K. Murphy, a Harvard University medical student.
At follow-up, 1 of the 17 women with normal ovarian morphology at the beginning of the study had developed PCOM. Of the 23 women who had PCOM at baseline, about half had PCOM at follow-up and the rest had converted to normal ovarian morphology. The researchers concluded that the development of PCOS is uncommon in women with PCOM and regular cycles.