Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder that affects 8-13% of women of reproductive age. It is one of the most common causes of infertility and is associated with hyperandrogenism in the form of hirsutism and acne, non-ovulatory cycles, and characteristic ovarian morphology. The available research on serum vitamin D deficiency in patients with PCOS and the appropriateness of vitamin D supplementation in this group of women is inconclusive, so we decided to investigate the influence of vitamin D on the incidence of metabolic syndrome and hormonal balance in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. The study comprised 120 women aged between 18 and 42 years, who were divided into two groups: a group with diagnosed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and a group of regularly menstruating women without features of androgenisation, in whom polycystic ovary syndrome was excluded. Each patient underwent a history and physical examination, including a gynecological examination, anthropometric measurements were taken, including height, weight, waist, and hip circumference, and blood pressure was measured using the Korotkow method. In the female patients, the following parameters were also determined from the blood: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), oestradiol, TSH, ft4, prolactin (PRL), total testosterone, DHEASO4, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), androstendione, 25(OH) vitamin D3 metabolite. The majority of the patients with polycystic ovary syndrome were found to have deficient or suboptimal serum vitamin D levels, and the effects of vitamin D on the SHBG levels and free-androgen indices in these patients was examined. The effects of vitamin D on the incidence of metabolic syndrome and BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, and blood pressure in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome were also found.
Keywords: androstendione; dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate; follicle-stimulating hormone; luteinizing hormone; metabolic syndrome; polycystic ovary syndrome; prolactin; sex-hormone-binding globulin; thyroid-stimulating hormone; vitamin D.