The Rotterdam criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome: evidence-based criteria?

The Rotterdam criteria for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are used by a wide range of medical professionals and researchers. However, the development of these criteria was based on expert meetings and not on evidence-based treatment guidance. Over the last decade, the Rotterdam criteria have been useful in guiding research, and a number of clinical studies on PCOS have been published consequently. We plead to revisit the Rotterdam criteria based on the available evidence in prognostic studies and randomized controlled trials. In this opinion paper, we provide arguments of the strengths and limitations of the Rotterdam criteria in guiding treatment selections and predicting prognoses in women with infertility. While the Rotterdam criteria have shown their advantages in predicting reproductive prognosis, the next step is to evaluate whether they can guide treatment choices in infertility as well as other health aspects of the syndrome. Based on available data in clinical studies, we should be able to determine whether the Rotterdam criteria are evidence-based criteria.