The relationship between prolactin and adipose tissue and metabolic parameters in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

Objectives: Polycystic ovary syndrome is a reproductive endocrinopathy, predominantly accompanied byinsulin resistance, obesity, and metabolic disorder. In this study, we aimed to investigate the possiblerelationship between prolactin and adipose tissue and metabolic parameters in patients with polycystic ovarysyndrome (PCOS).Methods: A total of 58 patients with PCOS and 34 body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls betweenSeptember 2018 and March 2019 were included in the study. Visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues weremeasured using ultrasonography. Serum prolactin, fasting blood glucose, insulin, low-density lipoproteincholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride, total cholesterol, luteinizinghormone (LH), total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), and 17-hydroxyprogesterone(17-OHP) levels were measured.Results: The median BMI (p = 0.001), waist circumference (p = 0.002), hip circumference (p = 0.003), waistto-hip ratio (p = 0.013), LH (p = 0.012), total testosterone (p = 0.004), DHEA-S (p = 0.049), 17-OHP (p =0.001), insulin (p = 0.001), minimum preperitoneal fat thickness (p = 0.001), maximum preperitoneal fatthickness (p = 0.048), and intraperitoneal fat thickness (p = 0.018) were significantly higher in the PCOS groupcompared to the control group. However, there was no significant correlation between prolactin levels andadipose tissue parameters and insulin levels in the patients with PCOS.Conclusions: Although there was an increase in the preperitoneal and intraperitoneal fat thickness in the PCOSgroup compared to the control group, no significant correlation was observed between prolactin and visceraland subcutaneous adipose tissues and metabolic parameters.