Objective: To report the baseline characteristics and racial differences in the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotype from a large multicenter clinical trial (PPCOS).
Design: Double-blind, randomized trial of three treatment regimens (with extended release metformin or clomiphene citrate).
Setting: Academic medical centers.
Patient(s): Six hundred twenty-six infertile women with PCOS, aged 18-39 years, with elevated T levels and oligomenorrhea (exclusion of secondary causes), seeking pregnancy, with > or = 1 patent fallopian tube, normal uterine cavity, and a partner with sperm concentration > or = 20 x 10(6)/mL in > or = 1 ejaculate.
Intervention(s): Baseline characterization.
Main outcome measure(s): Historical, biometric, and biochemical measures of PCOS.
Result(s): There were no significant differences in baseline variables between treatment groups. The overall mean (+/-SD) age of the subjects was 28.1 +/- 4.0 years, and the mean body mass index was 35.2 kg/m2 (+/-8.7). Polycystic ovaries (PCOs) were present in 90.3% of the subjects, and the mean volume of each ovary was 10 cm3 or more. Of the subjects, 7% had ovaries that were discordant for PCO morphology. At baseline, 18.3% of the subjects had an abnormal fasting glucose level (> 100 mg/dL). Asians tended to have a milder phenotype, and whites and African Americans were similar in these measures.
Conclusion(s): The treatment groups were well matched for baseline parameters, and we have added further information to the PCOS phenotype.