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Table 1 Clinical, metabolic and hormonal variables in control women, patients with PCOS and men

From: Serum metabolomics profiling by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveals sexual dimorphism and masculinization of intermediate metabolism in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

 

Control women

Women with PCOS

Control men

Group

Obesity

Interaction

Non-obese (n = 9)

Obese (n = 8)

Non-obese (n = 9)

Obese (n = 8)

Non-obese (n = 10)

Obese (n = 9)

P

P

P

Age (years)

26 ± 5

27 ± 6

24 ± 8

30 ± 5

24 ± 4

25 ± 4

0.342

0.101

0.319

Body mass index (kg/m2)

23 ± 2

36 ± 4

24 ± 3

37 ± 5

23 ± 2

34 ± 3

0.226

< 0.001

0.782

Waist circumference (cm)a,b

76 ± 9

100 ± 17

72 ± 7

105 ± 11

81 ± 5

110 ± 13

0.050

< 0.001

0.377

Waist-to-hip ratioa,b

0.75 ± 0.08

0.83 ± 0.12

0.73 ± 0.05

0.85 ± 0.06

0.83 ± 0.04

0.90 ± 0.05

0.002

< 0.001

0.436

Fat mass (kg)a,b

22.5 ± 4.8

42.5 ± 10.3

20.2 ± 5.5

43.7 ± 8.6

12.9 ± 4.5

36.7 ± 12.6

0.011

< 0.001

0.767

Fat mass (%)a,b

35.0 ± 5.3

43.7 ± 5.7

31.6 ± 6.3

42.9 ± 3.9

16.6 ± 5.1

32.6 ± 7.0

< 0.001

< 0.001

0.165

Hirsutism score

1.4 ± 1.3

1.8 ± 1.2

9.7 ± 4.5

9.3 ± 4.5

–

–

< 0.001

0.738

0.876

Total T (nmol/l)a,b,c

1.6 ± 0.3

2.0 ± 0.5

2.5 ± 0.7

2.4 ± 1.0

18.5 ± 3.3

17.3 ± 3.6

< 0.001

0.776

0.196

Total E2 (pmol/l)a,b

149 ± 63

276 ± 200

182 ± 201

149 ± 49

68 ± 16

94 ± 26

< 0.001

0.024

0.422

Free T (pmol/l)a,b,c

21 ± 7

31 ± 8

36 ± 12

45 ± 24

450 ± 104

464 ± 94

< 0.001

0.024

0.265

Free E2 (pmol/l)a

2.7 ± 1.1

5.3 ± 3

3.6 ± 4.3

3.4 ± 1.4

1.8 ± 0.5

2.6 ± 0.7

0.010

0.003

0.520

Free T/free E2a,b,c

8.6 ± 0.9

7.6 ± 1.6

17.4 ± 4.0

14.0 ± 1.9

263.4 ± 22.6

186.4 ± 12.7

< 0.001

0.119

0.750

SHBG (nmol/l)a,b

56 ± 25

43 ± 14

50 ± 21

32 ± 13

27 ± 10

20 ± 6

< 0.001

0.008

0.568

Androstenedione (nmol/l)b,c

9.1 ± 2.9

9.5 ± 2.9

14.7 ± 4.2

13.4 ± 6.1

7.1 ± 1.7

9.3 ± 3.8

< 0.001

0.712

0.371

hsCRP (nmol/l)

27 ± 22

38 ± 28

20 ± 21

65 ± 74

31 ± 25

31 ± 12

0.998

0.009

0.207

Triglycerides (mmol/l)

0.84 ± 0.36

0.92 ± 0.34

0.90 ± 0.25

1.14 ± 0.47

0.89 ± 0.29

1.15 ± 0.40

0.399

0.054

0.711

Total cholesterol (mmol/l)

4.4 ± 0.9

4.7 ± 0.9

4.3 ± 1.0

4.4 ± 0.9

4.1 ± 0.6

4.8 ± 0.9

0.844

0.133

0.485

HDL-cholesterol (mmol/l)a,b

1.4 ± 0.3

1.3 ± 0.2

1.4 ± 0.2

1.2 ± 0.2

1.2 ± 0.2

1.0 ± 0.1

0.001

0.002

0.512

LDL-cholesterol (mmol/l)

2.7 ± 0.8

2.9 ± 0.6

2.5 ± 0.8

2.7 ± 0.8

2.4 ± 0.4

3.3 ± 0.8

0.507

0.034

0.237

Fasting insulin (pmol/l)

55 ± 20

77 ± 21

52 ± 29

94 ± 25

40 ± 11

75 ± 27

0.123

< 0.001

0.440

Fasting glucose (mmol/l)b,c

4.7 ± 0.4

5.3 ± 0.4

4.5 ± 0.5

4.8 ± 0.5

4.9 ± 0.5

5.2 ± 0.4

0.011

0.001

0.408

Insulin sensitivity index

6.6 ± 2.8

3.3 ± 1.2

8.1 ± 4.7

3.6 ± 1.4

7.3 ± 2.8

3.8 ± 1.6

0.640

< 0.001

0.909

HOMA-IR

1.6 ± 0.6

2.6 ± 0.7

1.5 ± 0.9

2.9 ± 0.7

1.3 ± 0.4

2.5 ± 1.0

0.422

< 0.001

0.744

  1. Data are means ± SD. The effects of group and obesity were analyzed by a two-way GLM followed by the least significant difference post-hoc test
  2. E2 estradiol, HDL high-density lipoprotein, LDL low-density lipoprotein, HOMA-IR homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, hsCRP high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, PCOS polycystic ovary syndrome, SHBG sex hormone-binding globulin, T testosterone
  3. ap < 0.05 for the difference between men and control women regardless of obesity
  4. bp < 0.05 for the difference between men and PCOS women regardless of obesity
  5. cp < 0.05 for the difference between PCOS and control women regardless of obesity. P-values < 0.05 are indicated in bold
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Biology of Sex Differences

ISSN: 2042-6410

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