ABSTRACT
Although polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been diagnosed since the 1930s, the natural history of polycystic ovaries (PCO) or PCOS and any sequelae remain a mystery. The ability to diagnose PCO using a non-invasive and repeatable method-ultrasonographywas only developed in 19811 and to date there have been no long-term studies using ultrasound. Two studies that followed women for some years after ovarian wedge resection are discussed in this chapter, but it should be emphasized at the outset that these studies may not answer questions about long-term sequelae or the natural history of PCO. A wedge biopsy procedure may alter the ovary’s function as well as producing significant adhesions. It is also worthy of mention that follow-up of women after wedge biopsy only includes cases at the severe end of the PCO spectrum and may not be relevant to the asymptomatic majority of women with PCO. Obese women may not have been offered a wedge biopsy, which may further bias the data. The long-term sequelae of PCO are important because this condition has been diagnosed in more than 20%
of PCO made and want to know its significance on their lives. This chapter is an attempt to answer this question; however, it is based on limited data and perhaps in five years’ time it could be rewritten with much more fact and far less theory.
