Guidelines Summary

In November 2015, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), American College of Endocrinology (ACE), and Androgen Excess and PCOS Society (AES) released new guidelines in the evaluation and treatment of PCOS. Among their opinions and recommendations are the following^[96]:

See the list below:

The diagnostic criteria for PCOS should include two of the following three criteria: chronic anovulation, hyperandrogenism (clinical/biologic), and polycystic ovaries
In addition to clinical findings, obtain levels of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone and anti-Müllerian hormone to aid the diagnosis of PCOS.
Free testosterone levels are more sensitive for determining androgen excess than total T levels and should be obtained with equilibrium dialysis techniques
Women with PCOS should also be evaluated and/or treated for reproductive function, hirsutism, alopecia, and acne.
Adolescent girls with PCOS remain a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Girls whose oligomenorrhea persists 2-3 years past menarche typically have ongoing menstrual anomalies and are at higher risk for having an underlying ovarian or adrenal dysfunction. First-line monotherapy in this age group includes metformin monotherapy and/or combination therapy with oral contraceptive agents and antiandrogen agents.

Medication

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Media Gallery

Longitudinal transabdominal ultrasonogram of an ovary. This image reveals multiple peripheral follicles.
Low power, H and E of an ovary containing multiple cystic follicles in a patient with PCOS.

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Author

Richard Scott Lucidi, MD, FACOG Associate Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Richard Scott Lucidi, MD, FACOG is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Society for Reproductive Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Frances E Casey, MD, MPH Associate Professor, Director of Family Planning Services, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, VCU Medical Center

Frances E Casey, MD, MPH is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, National Abortion Federation, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Society of Family Planning

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Acknowledgements

Elizabeth Alderman, MD Director of Fellowship Training Program, Director of Adolescent Ambulatory Service, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Children's Hospital at Montefiore

Elizabeth Alderman, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Pediatric Society, North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, and Society for Adolescent Medicine

Disclosure: Merck Honoraria Speaking and teaching

A David Barnes, MD, PhD, MPH, FACOG Consulting Staff, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mammoth Hospital (Mammoth Lakes, California), Pioneer Valley Hospital (Salt Lake City, Utah), Warren General Hospital (Warren, Pennsylvania), and Mountain West Hospital (Tooele, Utah)

A David Barnes, MD, PhD, MPH, FACOG is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Forensic Examiners, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Medical Association, Association of Military Surgeons of the US, and Utah Medical Association