Serum total renin is elevated in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the serum total renin in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and in controls.

SETTING

Outpatient clinic of reproductive endocrinology at Turku University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland.

PATIENTS

Forty-four oligomenorrheic women with PCOS (body mass index [BMI] 18.0 to 49.0 kg/m2) and 25 control women with regular menstrual cycles (BMI 18.0 to 53.5 kg/m2).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The concentrations of total renin, LH, FSH, T, androstenedione (A), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and insulin in serum.

RESULTS

The concentration of total renin in serum was higher in PCOS women than in healthy women independently of BMI, age, or serum insulin. The serum total renin measurement discriminated PCOS patients and control women to a similar extent as the previously used hormonal parameters (LH:FSH, T, A, and T:SHBG) as judged by receiver-operating characteristic analysis. Positive correlations were found between the serum total renin level and LH concentration, LH:FSH ratio, T and A levels, and T:SHBG ratio. Analysis of serum total renin in PCOS patients during oligomenorrhea and after menstruation did not reveal any significant changes.

CONCLUSIONS

The elevated concentration of serum total renin suggests an enhanced activity of ovarian renin-angiotensin system in PCOS. The determination of serum total renin may provide a novel tool in the diagnostics of PCOS, because its serum level is elevated in PCOS women independently of BMI and serum insulin.