Early ovarian ageing: are women with polycystic ovaries protected?

• Published in: Human reproduction (Oxford) Vol. 19; no. 10; pp. 2175 - 2179
• Main Authors: Nikolaou, D., Gilling-Smith, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01-10-2004; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Aging; Biological and medical sciences; early ovarian ageing; Female; Female genital diseases; fetal origin; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Humans; IVF; IVM; Medical sciences; Non tumoral diseases; Oocytes; Ovarian Follicle - physiopathology; Ovary - physiopathology; PCOS; polycystic ovaries; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome - physiopathology; IVF; IVM; fetal origin; PCOS; polycystic ovaries; early ovarian ageing; Human; Ovarian diseases; early ovarian ageing/fetal origin/IVF/IVM/PCOS/polycystic ovaries; Senescence; Ageing; Cyst; Risk factor; Female sterility; Female; Benign neoplasm; Polycystic ovary; Female genital diseases
• ISSN: 0268-1161; 1460-2350
• DOI: 10.1093/humrep/deh419

Screening asymptomatic women in the general population for ‘early ovarian ageing’ will be more effective in high-risk groups. Recent findings support the hypothesis that women with polycystic ovaries (PCO) may have actually been born with a larger pool of resting follicles. The mechanism is almost certainly genetic and occurs in fetal life. If, as is widely accepted, the rate of depletion of the ovarian reserve depends primarily on the size of the remaining pool of small follicles, women with PCO will be unlikely to undergo an accelerated depletion of their follicle pool, normally seen in the late thirties, significantly earlier. In terms of asymptomatic screening for early ovarian ageing in the general population, women with PCO constitute a low-risk group and should therefore be excluded.