Is the Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Increased in all Phenotypes of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder in women of reproductive age, affecting around 10% of them. Polycystic ovary syndrome is considered to be related to increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). There are 2 definitions for PCOS: one adopted in 1990 (classical PCOS with phenotypes A and B) and the other in 2003 (Rotterdam criteria with 4 phenotypes A to D). The latter is a wider definition including the 1990 phenotypes. There is mounting data suggesting that phenotypes C and D are not actually related to increased CVD risk, and thus screening for CVD risk factors of intervening for primary CVD prevention in young women is not cost-effective. There is an increasing number of suggestions to return to the 1990 criteria plus some metabolic parameters to identify real CVD risk in this population. However, such a strategy needs verification by large, prospective studies.