The polycystic ovary syndrome.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a multifaceted clinical entity the hallmark of which is ovulatory dysfunction associated with a relative luteinizing hormone excess and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) deficiency. Clomiphene citrate has been the first-line drug for ovulation induction in women with PCOS: because it is an attenuated estrogen, its action blocks the acyclic estrone effect in PCOS. However, many women fail to ovulate or conceive on clomiphene, and an appropriate agent for them was unavailable until relatively recently. The use of a "pure" FSH preparation, Metrodin, provides physiologic replacement of the deficient gonadotropin in PCOS; thus, Metrodin is the ideal second-line drug. Its use with a low-dose regimen should avoid the hyperstimulation seen with human menopausal gonadotropin in PCOS; spontaneous ovulation is an end point. Thus, PCOS patients who do not achieve pregnancy with clomiphene citrate have available a new, more physiologic approach to ovulation induction.