Sustained fertility from 22 to 41 years of age in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome

BACKGROUND: Subfertility due to chronic anovulation is common in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and is often treated with IVF. Women with PCOS have an increased ovarian follicle and oocyte count, increased ovarian reserve and/or a slower rate of follicle atresia. If so, one would expect women with PCOS to display a delayed reduction in fertility with advancing age as compared with eumenorrheic women. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we compared oocyte count and live birth rates among two groups undergoing IVF, 500 women with PCOS and 500 eumenorrheic women with infertility due to tubal factor only. RESULTS: Across the age range of 22-41 years, oocyte count and live birth rates remained stable in women with PCOS. In the eumenorrheic comparison group, these parameters decreased significantly with age. CONCLUSIONS: Women with PCOS display sustained fertility with advancing age as compared with infertile eumenorrheic women.