Obesity and extreme obesity, manifest by ages 20–24 years, continuing through 32–41 years in women, should alert physicians to the diagnostic likelihood of polycystic ovary syndrome as a reversible underlying endocrinopathy

Abstract Objectives: Document obesity–extreme obesity in most 20–24, 25–29, and 32–41 years old women with PCOS as a stimulus for physicians to consider the diagnosis of PCOS, an underlying reversible endocrinopathy. Study design: In matched age groups 20–24, 25–29, and 32–41 years, we compared BMI in 84, 129, and 188 Caucasian women with PCOS versus 956, 815, and 815 women in NHANES I (general population), and 25, 36, and 45 non-pregnant women (community obstetrics practice). Results: At ages 20–24, 25–29, and 32–41 years, mean ± S.D. BMIs in women with PCOS (35.3 ± 7.7, 36.0 ± 9.4, 36.7 ± 8.2) were much greater than NHANES I (22.8 ± 4.6, 23.3 ± 5.0, 24.5 ± 5.6; p p Conclusions: Obesity–extreme obesity in women, manifest by ages 20–24 years, continuing through 32–41 years, should alert physicians to the likelihood of PCOS, an underlying, heritable, potentially reversible, insulin resistant endocrinopathy that promotes obesity.