Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder that is characterized by neuroendocrine dysfunction. While gonadotropin dysregulation is well established, the roles of neuropeptides, such as kisspeptin and neudesin, remain incompletely defined. This study aimed to compare the serum levels of kisspeptin, neudesin, and classical gonadotropins between women with PCOS and healthy controls to evaluate their potential roles in pathophysiology and diagnosis. A case-control study was conducted involving 40 women with PCOS (diagnosed using the Rotterdam criteria) and 40 age-matched healthy controls. Blood samples were collected during the early follicular (Day 2–4) and mid-luteal (Day 20–21) phases. The PCOS group exhibited a significantly elevated LH/FSH ratio (Day 2:2.82 ± 1.07 vs. 1.00 ± 0.22, p < 0.001) and free testosterone (3.12 ± 0.92 vs. 1.36 ± 0.43 pg/mL, p < 0.001), alongside markedly reduced mid-luteal progesterone (1.41 ± 0.82 vs. 11.75 ± 4.55 ng/mL, p < 0.001). Kisspeptin was also greatly elevated in PCOS women on the mid-luteal phase of menstrual cycle (106.79 ± 27.45 vs. 91.5 ± 24.63 pg/mL, p = 0.0175), no intergroup differences were observed for neudesin concentrations between the two groups. This study confirmed the classic gonadotropin dysregulation in PCOS and identified a dynamic, phase-specific elevation of kisspeptin, indicating its participation in the underlying neuroendocrine pathology. The LH/FSH ratio is still a strong diagnostic tool, while kisspeptin and neudesin did not have any single diagnostic power in the present study.
Taama et al. (Sat,) studied this question.