McGee WK, Bishop CV, Pohl CR, Chang RJ, Marshall JC, Pau FK, Stouffer RL, Cameron JL. Effects of hyperandrogenemia and increased adiposity on reproductive and metabolic parameters in young adult female monkeys. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 306: E1292-E1304, 2014. First published April 15, 2014; doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00310.2013.-Many patients with hyperandrogenemia are overweight or obese, which exacerbates morbidities associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). To examine the ability of testosterone (T) to generate PCOS-like symptoms, monkeys received T or cholesterol (control) implants (n ϭ 6/group) beginning prepubertally. As previously reported, T-treated animals had increased neuroendocrine drive to the reproductive axis [increased luteinizing hormone (LH) pulse frequency] at 5 yr, without remarkable changes in ovarian or metabolic features. To examine the combined effects of T and obesity, at 5.5 yr (human equivalent age: 17 yr), monkeys were placed on a high-calorie, high-fat diet typical of Western cultures [Western style diet (WSD)], which increased body fat from Ͻ2% (pre-WSD) to 15-19% (14 mo WSD). By 6 mo on WSD, LH pulse frequency in the controls increased to that of T-treated animals, whereas LH pulse amplitude decreased in both groups and remained low. The numbers of antral follicles present during the early follicular phase increased in both groups on the WSD, but maximal follicular size decreased by 50%. During the late follicular phase, T-treated females had greater numbers of small antral follicles than controls. T-treated monkeys also had lower progesterone during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Although fasting insulin did not vary between groups, T-treated animals had decreased insulin sensitivity after 1 yr on WSD. Thus, while WSD consumption alone led to some features characteristic of PCOS, T ϩ WSD caused a more severe phenotype with regard to insulin insensitivity, increased numbers of antral follicles at midcycle, and decreased circulating luteal phase progesterone levels. testosterone; obesity; amenorrhea; insulin insensitivity; ovarian follicle POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME (PCOS) affects 4 -8% of reproductive-aged women (5, 48) and is characterized by hyperandrogenemia (HA), irregular menstrual cycles, and polycystic ovaries, in addition to rapid luteinizing hormone (LH) pulse frequency, increased LH response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), decreased sensitivity to progesterone (P 4 ) negative feedback, and decreased insulin sensitivity (SI) (13,20,90). Moreover, up to 90% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese, which is higher than the general population of the United States, where 65% of women over the age of 20 are overweight or obese (6, 33). Women with PCOS also tend to have a central distribution of adiposity, which is associated with increased rates of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (23, 51).Being overweight or obese aggravates many symptoms of PCOS. Basal production of testosterone (T) and free T are reportedly elevated in obese, compar...