Impact of glucose metabolism abnormalities on live birth rate in South-East Asian women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Is there a difference in live birth rates at 24 months between infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who have normal versus abnormal glucose metabolism?

Abnormal glucose metabolism did not significantly reduce live birth rates but was associated with increased obstetric complications.

Women with PCOS are often at increased risk of glucose metabolism disorders. However, evidence about the impact of these disorders on pregnancy outcomes remains limited, particularly in Asian populations.

This prospective cohort study was conducted at a reproductive care centre in Vietnam from June 2020 to August 2024. A total of 1208 women were enrolled.

Eligible participants were infertile women aged 18-40 years diagnosed with PCOS (Rotterdam criteria). Comprehensive assessments included medical history, anthropometric measurements, endocrine evaluations, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycosylated haemoglobin (HbAlc), and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT). Participants were categorized into normal or abnormal glucose metabolism groups and monitored for live birth outcomes at 24 months from the first visit.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: Live birth rates at 24 months were comparable between women with normal versus abnormal glucose metabolism (52.7% vs 48.2%, P = 0.12). However, obstetric complications, including gestational diabetes mellitus (15.2% vs 28.0%, P < 0.001) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (2.3% vs 9.0%, P < 0.001), were more common in the group with abnormal glucose metabolism. In women who conceived naturally, greater waist circumference and higher Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance index were significantly associated with lower odds of live birth, whereas the presence of hyperandrogenism was associated with higher odds of live birth. No factors were significantly associated with live birth in the group that conceived via ovulation induction plus IUI. In the group that conceived through IVF or IVM, a higher BMI was significantly associated with a lower live birth rate.

This single-centre study was conducted exclusively on infertile women from South-East Asia who had PCOS, potentially limiting generalizability to other populations. Additionally, metabolic assessments were only performed at baseline, preventing evaluation of longitudinal changes and their dynamic effects on reproductive outcomes.

While no significant difference in live birth rates was observed between PCOS women with normal and abnormal glucose metabolism, the abnormal glucose metabolism group experienced higher rates of gestational complications. These findings underscore the importance of preconception metabolic screening and tailored fertility strategies that include targeted interventions to optimize reproductive and maternal outcomes in women with PCOS.

This study was supported by My Duc Hospital. Lan N. Vuong reports funding from the Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development (NAFOSTED; grant number FWO.108-2022.01); Merck: Speaker and conference fees; Merck Sharp and Dohme: speaker and conference fees as well as a grant; Ferring: speaker, conference, and scientific board fees outside the submitted work. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

NCT04364087.