What are the causes of PCOS?

The main symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome are endocrine disorders, irregular menstruation, hirsutism, infertility, etc. The cause of polycystic ovary syndrome is still unclear, but it is currently believed to be the final result of persistent ovarian anovulation. So what are the causes of polycystic ovary syndrome?

1. Hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction: PCOS patients have high LH values ​​and normal or low FSH values, so the LH/FSH ratio is greater than 3, and LH's response to the synthetic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) increases. Therefore, hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction is considered to be the initiating factor of this syndrome, which leads to abnormal synthesis of steroid hormones by the ovaries and causes chronic anovulation.

2. Abnormal adrenal cortex function: Some PCOS patients have increased adrenal androgen secretion. This may be due to abnormal regulation of the adrenal cortex P450c17 enzyme complex, which causes enzyme blockade in the biosynthesis of steroid hormones from 17-hydroxyprogesterone to estrone.

3. Hyperprolactinemia: About 20* to 30* of PCOS patients have hyperprolactinemia. Some people believe that PRL can stimulate adrenal cortical cells to secrete androgens because there are PRL receptors on the adrenal cortical cell membrane. This is an important cause of polycystic ovary syndrome in women.

4. Abnormal local autocrine and paracrine regulatory mechanisms of the ovary: Currently, most scholars infer that there are certain substances in the follicles of PCOS patients, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor a (TGFa) and inhibin, which inhibit the sensitivity of granulosa cells to FSH and increase their own FSH threshold, thereby hindering the selection and further development of dominant follicles.

5. Genetic factors: This is one of the causes of polycystic ovary syndrome. Some people believe that PCOS is a genetic disease, which may be inherited in a sex-linked dominant manner. Most patients have a normal 46,XX karyotype. Chromosomal abnormalities are manifested as X chromosome long arm deletion and X chromosome number and structural abnormalities in mosaicism.