Sexual dysfunction in women with PCOS:a case control study

STUDY QUESTIONWhat is the relationship of sex steroid levels with sexual function in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?SUMMARY ANSWERWomen with PCOS reported more sexual dysfunction and more sexual distress compared to those without PCOS, but only few and weak associations between androgen levels and sexual function were observed.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYThe literature shows that women with PCOS report lower levels of sexual function and sexual satisfactionand more sexual distress. Contributing factors seem to be obesity, alopecia, hirsutism, acne, infertility, anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. In women with PCOS clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism is common; its relationship with sexualfunction is, however, inconclusive.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis observational prospective case control study with 135 women (68 PCOS, 67 control) was conductedfrom March 2017 until March 2020.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSHeterosexual women with and without PCOS, aged 18–40 years, in a steady relationshipand without any comorbidities, underwent an extensive medical and endocrine screening using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and validated sexual function questionnaires.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEWomen with PCOS reported significantly lower sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) P < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.104), higher levels of sexual distress (Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised P < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.090), and they more often complied with the definition of sexual dysfunction (41.2% vs 11.9%, P < 0.001, Phi V = 0.331) and clinical sexual distress (51.5% vs 19.4%, P < 0.001, Phi V = 0.335). Regression analysis adjusted for confounders showed only few and weak associations between androgen levels and sexual function, with each model explaining a maximum of 15% sexual function. Following significant Group × Hormone interactions, analyses for both groups separately showed no significant associations in the PCOS group. The control group showed only weak negative associations between testosterone and FSFI pain (β = −6.022, P = 0.044, Adj R2 = 0.050), between FAI and FSFI orgasm (β = −3.360, P = 0.023, Adj R2 = 0.049) and between androstenedione and clinical sexual distress (β = −7.293, P = 0.036, exp(β) = 0.001).LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONThe focus of the study on sexual functioning potentially creates selection bias. Possibly women with more severe sexual disturbances did or did not choose to participate. Differences between women with PCOS and controls in relationship duration and hormonal contraceptive use might have skewed the sexual function outcomes.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSSexual function is impaired in women with PCOS. However, endocrine perturbations seem to have minimal direct impact on sexual function. Addressing sexuality and offering psychosexual counseling is important in the clinical care for women with PCOS

Age-related differences in features associated with polycystic ovary syndrome in normogonadotrophic oligo-amenorrhoeic infertile women of reproductive years

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of age on clinical, endocrine and sonographic features associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in normogonadotrophic anovulatory infertile women of reproductive years

XCI in preimplantation mouse and human embryos: first there is remodelling…

Female eutherians silence one of their X chromosomes to accomplish an equal dose of X-linked gene expression compared with males. The mouse is the most widely used animal model in XCI research and has proven to be of great significance for understanding the complex mechanism of X-linked dosage compensation. Although the basic principles of XCI are similar in mouse and humans, differences exist in the timing of XCI initiation, the genetic elements involved in XCI regulation and the form of XCI in specific tissues. Therefore, the mouse has its limitations as a model to understand early human XCI and analysis of human tissues is required. In this review, we describe these differences with respect to initiation of XCI in human and mouse preimplantation embryos, the extra-embryonic tissues and the in vitro model of the epiblast: the embryonic stem cells

A classical view on nonclassical nucleation

Understanding and controlling nucleation is important for many crystallization applications. Calcium carbonate (CaCO_{3}) is often used as a model system to investigate nucleation mechanisms. Despite its great importance in geology, biology, and many industrial applications, CaCO_{3} nucleation is still a topic of intense discussion, with new pathways for its growth from ions in solution proposed in recent years. These new pathways include the so-called nonclassical nucleation mechanism via the assembly of thermodynamically stable prenucleation clusters, as well as the formation of a dense liquid precursor phase via liquid–liquid phase separation. Here, we present results from a combined experimental and computational investigation on the precipitation of CaCO_{3} in dilute aqueous solutions. We propose that a dense liquid phase (containing 4–7 H_{2}O per CaCO_{3} unit) forms in supersaturated solutions through the association of ions and ion pairs without significant participation of larger ion clusters. This liquid acts as the precursor for the formation of solid CaCO_{3} in the form of vaterite, which grows via a net transfer of ions from solution according to z Ca^{2+} + zCO_{3}^{2−} → z CaCO_{3}. The results show that all steps in this process can be explained according to classical concepts of crystal nucleation and growth, and that long-standing physical concepts of nucleation can describe multistep, multiphase growth mechanisms

Shear thickening as a consequence of an acoustic resonance in sheared colloidal crystals

A model is presented that predicts the critical shear rate of shear thickening of soft sphere colloidal suspensions. It is based on the idea that shear in a colloidal crystal leads to a periodic variation of the elastic modulus with time. At a specific shear rate an acoustic resonance occurs which leads to an increase of the viscosity. Good agreement with experimental results could be obtained by fitting the single parameter of the model

Dynamics of cross linking fronts in alkyd coatings

The dynamics of the curing process of alkyd coatings is an important aspect for coating performance. The formation of cross links in an alkyd coating film has been followed in time using a microimaging nuclear magnetic resonance setup, having a spatial resolution of 5 µm perpendicular to the film. During this cross-linking process a front has been observed inside the coating film. The position of this front varied with the square root of time. With the help of a simple reaction model, we have proven that this dynamics results from the fact that the curing rate is limited by the oxygen flux into the coating. This model can also explain, the differences in curing rates observed for various coatings. © 2005 American Institute of Physics