Visfatin and leptin levels in women with polycystic ovaries undergoing ovarian stimulation.

OBJECTIVE To detect the levels of visfatin and leptin in the serum as well as in the follicular fluid (FF) of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation and to compare them with the levels found in age- and weight-matched normally ovulating women under IVF treatment. DESIGN Prospective study. SETTING Assisted Reproduction Unit, Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens, Greece. PATIENT(S) Forty patients with diagnosed PCOS and 40 age- and weight-matched non-PCOS control women enrolled in the IVF program. INTERVENTION(S) Blood and FF samples were collected from all subjects at oocyte retrieval. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Visfatin and leptin levels were measured in serum and FF using ELISA. RESULT(S) Serum visfatin levels were significantly increased in women with PCOS, whereas FF visfatin levels, which were lower than serum levels, did not differ between groups. Serum leptin levels did not differ between groups and were lower than FF levels. CONCLUSION(S) Women with polycystic ovaries exhibit significantly increased serum visfatin and decreased FF leptin levels compared with control subjects of similar age and body mass index, indicating a probable role for visfatin in the general state of insulin resistance and a local contribution in the follicle for leptin in patients undergoing IVF treatment.