Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and adolescence: How can we manage it?

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a very complex syndrome, with typical hormonal and metabolic features. In adolescent girls, this condition shows particular characteristics which are in common with adult sign and symptoms, often making the diagnosis difficult. On the other side, treatment strategy aims to manage the different aspects of this syndrome, and is generally based on lifestyle/diet modifications possibly associated with use of estroprogestins, anti-androgens and insulin-sensitizing agents. In this article, we will briefly review both diagnosis and clinical approach to polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescence which still remain a matter of debate in view of the peculiar hormonal milieu of that critical period.