Skip to main content
. 2014 Jan 7;99(3):1027–1036. doi: 10.1210/jc.2013-3399

Table 2.

Twenty-Four-Hour Urinary Steroid Excretion in PCOS Patients, Controls, and PCOS Androgen Phenotype Subgroups

Variable Controls (n = 43) All PCOS (n = 86) NA/NT (n = 10) HA/NT (n = 20) HA/HT (n = 56)
Total androgen metabolites, μg per 24 h 2882 ± 2018 5493 ± 2781a 2751 ± 1760 4886 ± 1968b,c 5727 ± 2530a,c
An, μg per 24 h 1413 ± 906 2824 ± 1651a 1452 ± 1178 2594 ± 1207b 3016 ± 1553a,c
Et, μg per 24 h 1468 ± 1208 2457 ± 725a 1299 ± 733 2292 ± 1211 2683 ± 1469b,d
An/Et ratio (5α-reductase activity) 1.1 ± 0.4 1.3 ± 0.6b 1.2 ± 0.6 1.3 ± 0.6 1.3 ± 0.6
Urinary DHEA, μg per 24 h 457 ± 721 1740 ± 954b 477 ± 400 1586 ± 960 1960 ± 854b,c
Total glucocorticoid metabolites, μg per 24 h 6821 ± 3572 9624 ± 4214e 8449 ± 4181 8935 ± 3404 9803 ± 4390b
5α-THF, μg per 24 h 940 ± 608 1313 ± 814b 1250 ± 1135 1259 ± 759 1359 ± 842e
THF, μg per 24 h 1206 ± 607 1520 ± 549b 1489 ± 924 1477 ± 475 1634 ± 822b
5α-THF/THF (5α-reductase activity) 0.8 ± 0.3 0.9 ± 0.5 0.8 ± 0.4 0.8 ± 0.5 0.9 ± 0.5
(5α-THF+THF)/THE (11β-HSD1 activity) 0.9 ± 0.3 0.9 ± 0.3 0.9 ± 0.3 0.9 ± 0.2 0.9 ± 0.4
Urinary cortisol/urinary cortisone (11β-HSD2 activity) 0.6 ± 0.5 0.6 ± 0.2 0.5 ± 0.1 0.6 ± 0.2 0.7 ± 0.2

Abbreviations: total androgen metabolites, sum of An+Et; total glucocorticoid metabolites, sum of THF+5α-THF+THE+cortols+cortolones+free cortisol/cortisone. Androgen and glucocorticoid metabolites were measured by GC/MS. The PCOS subgroup classification was according to high (H) or normal (N) A and T concentrations as measured by LC/MS-MS [normal T (NT) ≤1.9 nmol/L; normal A (NA) ≤7.4 nmol/L]. Data are expressed as mean ± SD unless otherwise stated.

a

P < .001 as compared with the BMI-matched healthy controls

b

P < .05 as compared with the BMI-matched healthy controls.

c

P < .05 as compared with the NA/NT group.

d

P < .01 as compared with the NA/NT group.

e

P < .01 as compared with the BMI-matched healthy controls.