Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a leading cause of infertility. We studied the rheological properties of cervical-vaginal secretions in five PCOS patients during variable treatment intervals with metformin. Five ovulatory normal women for a total of thirteen cycles served as control patients. All subjects collected daily cervical-vaginal fluid(CVF) samples with an aspirator, and CVF samples were characterized by a flow metric, die swell ratio (B), which measured CVF elasticity. Ovulatory cycles were indexed to the day of positive urine or serum LH (luteinizing hormone). CVF B levels from ovulatory normal women had a characteristic concave parabolic pattern of a minimum near the day of ovulation with higher values outside the periovulatory phase. In contrast, the five PCOS patients with or without metformin treatment had no periodicity of CVF B, and their CVF B levels were typically less compared to those in the early preovulatory and luteal phases of normal patients.
PMID 23226656 23226656 DOI 10.4103/2230-8210.103030 10.4103/2230-8210.103030
Cite this article
Shamim, N., Usala, S. J., Biggs, W., & McKenna, G. (2012). The elasticity of cervical-vaginal secretions is abnormal in polycystic ovary syndrome: Case report of five PCOS women. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 16(6), 1019-1021. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.103030
Shamim N, Usala SJ, Biggs W, McKenna G. The elasticity of cervical-vaginal secretions is abnormal in polycystic ovary syndrome: Case report of five PCOS women. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2012;16(6):1019-1021. doi:10.4103/2230-8210.103030
Shamim, Nabila, et al. "The elasticity of cervical-vaginal secretions is abnormal in polycystic ovary syndrome: Case report of five PCOS women." Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, vol. 16, no. 6, 2012, pp. 1019-1021.
Accuracy in detecting ovulation and estimating the fertile window in the menstrual cycle is essential for women to avoid or achieve pregnancy. There has been a rapid growth in fertility apps and home ovulation testing kits in recent years. Nevertheless, there lacks information on how well these apps perform in helping users understand their fertility in the menstrual cycle. This pilot study aimed to evaluate and compare the beginning, peak, and length of the fertile window as determined by a new luteinizing hormone (LH) fertility tracking app with the Clearblue Fertility Monitor (CBFM). A total of 30 women were randomized into either a quantitative Premom or a qualitative Easy@Home (EAH) LH testing system. The results of the two testing systems were compared with the results from the CBFM over three menstrual cycles of use. Potential LH levels for estimating the beginning of the fertile window were calculated along with user acceptability and satisfaction. The estimates of peak fertility by the Premom and EAH LH testing were highly correlated with the CBFM peak results (R = 0.99, p < 0.001). The participants had higher satisfaction and ease-of-use ratings with the CBFM compared to the Premom and EAH LH testing systems. LH 95% confidence levels for estimating the beginning of the fertile window were provided for both the Premom and EAH LH testing results. Our pilot study findings suggest that the Premom and EAH LH fertility testing app can accurately detect impending ovulation for women and are easy to use at home. However, successful utilization of these low-cost LH testing tools and apps for fertility self-monitoring and family planning needs further evaluation with a large and more diverse population.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has become a major international public health concern. However, because of controversy about the diagnostic criteria and patient selection, estimates of its absolute prevalence and change with time vary greatly. We conducted two consecutive nationwide epidemiological surveys of the prevalence of PCOS in representative samples of reproductive-aged women in China in 2010 and 2020. Face-to-face interviews were performed by trained interviewers in each survey. All participants completed a questionnaire and underwent a physical examination, blood sampling, and transvaginal pelvic ultrasound. We assessed hyperandrogenism (H), chronic anovulation (O), and polycystic ovaries (P) to classify the presence of PCOS using the Rotterdam criteria. The prevalence of PCOS among reproductive-aged women was estimated after consideration of differential probabilities of selection and population distribution. We conducted a logistic regression analysis by using the probability of PCOS as a function of the survey year to acquire the trend information across the years. 28,739 respondents completed the survey, including 15,924 in the previously published 2010 survey and 12,815 in the new 2020 survey. In 2020, 826 participants could be diagnosed as having PCOS, with a weighted prevalence of 7.8% (95%CI: 7.0%, 9.0%) among women aged 20-49 years, leading to an estimate of 24.0 million women of reproductive age affected by this condition in China as a whole. The estimated prevalence in 2020 was higher than that of a decade ago despite identical research methods suggesting a two-thirds increase over the study period. Women with PCOS in 2020 also appeared to have a more severe phenotype overall than those of a decade ago, possibly reflecting a significantly higher prevalence of obesity, hyperandrogenism, and infertility. The prevalence of PCOS in Chinese women has increased significantly over the past 10 years. PCOS is a significant public health problem in women of reproductive age in China and national policy and guidelines should be re-examined in the light of the current data. National Key R&D Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Body temperature is a common method in menstrual cycle phase tracking because of its biphasic form. In ambulatory studies, different skin temperatures have proven to follow a similar pattern. The aim of this pilot study was to assess the applicability of nocturnal finger skin temperature based on a wearable Oura ring to monitor menstrual cycle and predict menstruations and ovulations in real life. Volunteer women (n = 22) wore the Oura ring, measured ovulation through urine tests, and kept diaries on menstruations at an average of 114.7 days (SD 20.6), of which oral temperature was measured immediately after wake-up at an average of 1.9 cycles (SD 1.2). Skin and oral temperatures were compared by assessing daily values using repeated measures correlation and phase mean values and differences between phases using dependent t-test. Developed algorithms using skin temperature were tested to predict the start of menstruation and ovulation. The performance of algorithms was assessed with sensitivity and positive predictive values (true positive defined with different windows around the reported day). Nocturnal skin temperatures and oral temperatures differed between follicular and luteal phases with higher temperatures in the luteal phase, with a difference of 0.30 °C (SD 0.12) for skin and 0.23 °C (SD 0.09) for oral temperature (p < 0.001). Correlation between skin and oral temperatures was found using daily temperatures (r = 0.563, p < 0.001) and differences between phases (r = 0.589, p = 0.004). Menstruations were detected with a sensitivity of 71.9-86.5% in window lengths of ±2 to ±4 days. Ovulations were detected with the best-performing algorithm with a sensitivity of 83.3% in fertile window from - 3 to + 2 days around the verified ovulation. Positive predictive values had similar percentages to those of sensitivities. The mean offset for estimations were 0.4 days (SD 1.8) for menstruations and 0.6 days (SD 1.5) for ovulations with the best-performing algorithm. Nocturnal skin temperature based on wearable ring showed potential for menstrual cycle monitoring in real life conditions.
Women trying to conceive are increasingly using fertility-tracking software applications to time intercourse. This study evaluated the difference in conception rates between women trying to conceive using an application-connected ovulation test system, which measures urinary luteinizing hormone and an estrogen metabolite, versus those trying without using ovulation testing. This home-based study involved 844 volunteers aged 18-40 years seeking to conceive. Volunteers randomized to the test arm were required to use the test system for the duration of the study while those randomized to the control arm were instructed not to use ovulation testing. Pregnancy rate differences across one and two cycles between the two groups were examined. Volunteers in the test (n = 382) and control arms (n = 403) had similar baseline demographics. The proportion of women pregnant after one cycle was significantly greater in the test arm (25.4%) compared with the control arm (14.7%; p < 0.001). After two cycles, there continued to be a greater proportion of women pregnant in the test arm compared with the control arm (36.2% vs. 28.6%; p = 0.026). In the test arm, volunteers had intercourse less frequently per cycle compared with those not using ovulation testing (9 [range: 1-60] vs. 10 [range: 1-50]; p = 0.027), but were more likely to target intercourse to a particular part of their cycle compared with those not using ovulation testing (88.5% vs. 57.8%; p < 0.001). Using the test system to time intercourse within the fertile window increases the likelihood of conceiving within two menstrual cycles.