To investigate outcome-specific associations between homocysteine (HCY) and androgen profiles in PCOS women with infertility, live birth, or spontaneous abortion.
Key Findings:
Metabolic disturbances were most pronounced in infertile patients, followed by those with spontaneous abortion, while the live birth group had the most favorable metabolic profile.
In infertile patients, HCY showed broad positive correlations with multiple androgens, particularly total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone, free testosterone, and free androgen index.
In pregnant women, HCY-androgen correlations narrowed, with HCY positively associated with total testosterone in the live birth group and negatively associated with dehydroepiandrosterone in the spontaneous abortion group.
Interpretation:
The associations between HCY and androgens in PCOS vary significantly based on reproductive outcomes, suggesting that these relationships may inform risk stratification during different reproductive stages.
Limitations:
Retrospective design may introduce selection bias.
Exclusion of patients with certain reproductive tract abnormalities may limit generalizability.
Conclusion:
The study highlights the importance of understanding HCY-androgen associations in PCOS as they relate to specific reproductive outcomes, which could enhance clinical management and risk assessment.
