Glucagon in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO): relationship to abnormalities of insulin and androgens.

To investigate the glucagon status of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) and to relate this to serum concentrations of insulin, androgens and SHBG, 44 women with PCO and 23 control subjects underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. Although obese (body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2) women with PCO had higher concentrations of glucose and insulin than overweight (BMI 25-30 kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI less than 25 kg/m2) women with PCO and control subjects, fasting and summed values of glucagon in response to oral glucose were similar in all groups. The fasting and summed concentrations of glucagon were inversely related to those of testosterone and androstenedione in obese women with PCO, but no other relationships were demonstrated between hormone values and those of glucagon in the other groups. We conclude that glucagon is not implicated in peripheral insulin resistance in women with PCO.