• Susana Borruel, Elena Fernández-Durán, Macarena Alpañés, David Martí, Francisco Alvarez-Blasco, Manuel Luque-Ramírez, and Héctor F Escobar-Morreale.
• Diabetes, Obesity, and Human Reproduction Research Group, Universidad de Alcalá and Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
• J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 2013 Mar 1; 98 (3): 1254-63.

ContextSexual dimorphism suggests a role for androgens in body fat distribution. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a mainly androgen excess disorder, often present with abdominal obesity and visceral adiposity.ObjectiveWe hypothesized that women with PCOS have a masculinized body fat distribution favoring the deposition of fat in visceral and organ-specific adipose tissue depots.DesignThis was a case-control study.SettingThe study was conducted at an academic hospital.ParticipantsWomen with PCOS (n = 55), women without androgen excess (n = 25), and men (n = 26) presenting with similar body mass index participated in the study.InterventionsThere were no interventions.Main Outcome MeasuresUltrasound measurements of adipose tissue depots including sc (minimum and maximum), preperitoneal, ip, mesenteric, epicardial, and perirenal fat thickness were obtained and total body fat mass was estimated using a body fat monitor.ResultsMen and patients with PCOS had increased amounts of total body fat compared with control women. Men had increased thickness of intraabdominal adipose tissue depots compared with the control women, with the women with PCOS showing intermediate values that were also higher than those of control women in the case of ip and mesenteric fat thickness and was close to reaching statistical significance in the case of epicardial fat thickness. Women with PCOS also showed increased minimum sc fat thickness compared with the control women. Obesity increased the thickness of all of the adipose tissue depots in the 3 groups of subjects.ConclusionsWomen with PCOS have higher global adiposity and increased amounts of visceral adipose tissue compared with control women, especially in the ip and mesenteric depots.

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