POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME: ORIGINS AND IMPLICATIONS: PCOS in adolescents: ontogeny of neuroendocrine and metabolic disturbances

In brief Early clinical manifestations of PCOS may begin during puberty. This paper reviews the initial characteristics of PCOS in the adolescent girl. Abstract Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous multi-factorial familial disorder characterized by androgen excess, irregular menses, and chronic anovulation. The key features, hyperandrogenism, insulin resistance, and hyperinsulinemia, can be identified in peripubertal girls. From a pediatric/adolescent point of view, the ability to identify girls with PCOS or those ‘at-risk for PCOS’ is crucial to target educational and medical resources to promote healthy lifestyle interventions for these girls to minimize progression to PCOS and curtail the associated comorbidities.