Metabolic Syndrome Rather Than Other Phenotypes in PCOS as a Predictive Indicator for Clinical Outcomes in IVF: Comprehensive Phenotypic Assessment across All PCOS Classifications

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a well-recognized, multi-system metabolic disorder affecting fertility. Although various classification methods have been proposed to assess the phenotypic heterogeneity of PCOS, there is currently no reliable phenotype for predicting clinical IVF outcomes. This retrospective study, as a comprehensive phenotypic assessment across all PCOS classifications, aimed to identify dependable phenotypes that can serve as predictors for IVF and pregnancy outcomes. The study included 1313 PCOS patients who received their initial IVF treatment between January 2019 and December 2021. The phenotypes reflect the diverse metabolic and hormonal characteristics in this study. Phenotype A, within the Rotterdam criteria classification, exhibited the highest anti-Müllerian hormone levels (AMH), while phenotype D displayed the lowest Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) values. Both the hyperandrogenism (HA) phenotype within HA-based classification and the overweight phenotype within the body-mass-index-based classification showed increased HOMA-IR and metabolic syndrome (MetS). The MetS phenotype had higher free androgen index and a lower AMH. Notably, the MetS-based classification system demonstrated an independent association of MetS with cumulative live birth, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes mellitus as a contributing risk factor for PCOS patients undergoing IVF (p < 0.05). These findings carry noteworthy implications for advancing clinical management strategies for PCOS.