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Postmenopausal Diseases and Disorders pp 249–259Cite as

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Related Risks in Postmenopausal Women

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Abstract

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, such as impaired glucose metabolism dyslipidaemia and arterial hypertension, predisposing to CVD in post-reproductive life. Despite the clustering of these risk factors, an association between PCOS and CVD has not been established in postmenopausal women. Relevant studies are characterized by methodological factors, such as heterogeneity in both PCOS and CVD definitions in postmenopausal women, study design, small sample size, amelioration of menstruation with ageing, and insufficient follow-up duration. Well-designed, high-quality prospective studies are needed to establish or exclude an effect of PCOS on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and CVD risk in postmenopausal women, irrespective of obesity, ageing or menopause per se. Finally, PCOS may be associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer; such an association has not been shown with other types of gynaecological cancer, such as breast or ovarian cancer.

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Funding: None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, First Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, “Papageorgiou” General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Panagiotis Anagnostis

  2. Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, “Aghia Sophia” Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Stavroula A. Paschou

  3. Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Irene Lambrinoudaki

  4. Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, First Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Dimitrios G. Goulis

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  1. Panagiotis Anagnostis
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  2. Stavroula A. Paschou
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  3. Irene Lambrinoudaki
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  4. Dimitrios G. Goulis
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Zaragoza Facultad de Medicina, Zaragoza, Spain

    Faustino R. Pérez-López

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Anagnostis, P., Paschou, S.A., Lambrinoudaki, I., Goulis, D.G. (2019). Polycystic Ovary Syndrome-Related Risks in Postmenopausal Women. In: Pérez-López, F. (eds) Postmenopausal Diseases and Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13936-0_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13936-0_16

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