Lipid levels in polycystic ovary syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective To quantify the magnitude and pattern of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and nonhigh-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) versus control women. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of lipid levels in published cross-sectional studies worldwide where PCOS women and controls were examined and sampled. Main Outcome Measure(s) Differences in plasma lipids (including triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and nonHDL-cholesterol) in PCOS versus control subjects were calculated. Comparisons were made with and without body mass index (BMI) matching. Result(s) Triglyceride levels were 26 mg/dL (95% confidence …