Women's healthcare regarding polycystic ovarian syndrome remains challenging. Patients often go from one specialist to another trying to fully understand and management the disorder. Women often go years before a diagnosis, seeing three or more doctors before a confirmed diagnosis. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: Challenging Issues in the Modern Era of Individualized Medicine brings together multiple medical disciplines to improve the care of women with PCOS. Such a multidisciplinary clinical and scientific approach integrates obstetrics and gynecology, pediatric and medical endocrinology, internal medicine, genetics, psychology and laboratory medicine into relevant translational clinical and scientific discussions that update both the scientific understanding of PCOS and the diagnosis and management of all aspects of the syndrome. The impact of PCO on the onset of puberty is subdivided in sub sections to get a better understanding of this condition and the management at different stages in a woman's life.

Part I: Polycystic ovary syndrome: Challenges and controversies1. Defining PCOS: A syndrome with an intrinsic heterogeneous natureHECTOR F. ESCOBAR-MORREALE2. Secondary PCOS: Well-defined causes, leading to the PCOS phenotypeALESSANDRA GAMBINERI, CAROLINA CECCHETTI, PAOLA ALTIERI, DANILO RIBICHINI, VALENTINA LO PREIATO, FLAMINIA FANELLI, AND UBERTO PAGOTTO3. Developmental origins of polycystic ovary syndrome: Everything starts in uteroDAVID H. ABBOTT, EMILY P. GREINWALD, AND JON E. LEVINE4. The multifarious role of insulin in PCOS: From pathophysiology to therapeutic managementPAOLO MOGHETTI5. The pathogenic role of androgen excess in PCOSDUARTE PIGNATELLI, SOFIA S. PEREIRA, AND ELENI KANDARAKI6. Intrinsic abnormalities of adipose tissue and adipose tissue dysfunction in PCOSP.M. SPRITZER, B.R. SANTOS, T.M. FIGHERA, L.B. MARCHESAN, AND S.B. LECKE7. Diet and exercise in the management of PCOS: Starting from the basicsGEORGIOS K. MARKANTES, GINA TSICHLIA, AND NEOKLIS A. GEORGOPOULOS8. Targeting metabolism in the management of PCOS: Metformin and beyondSEDA HANIFE OGUZ, SULEYMAN NAHIT SENDUR, UGUR UNLUTURK, AND BULENT OKAN YILDIZ9. Combined oral contraceptives: Why, when, where?ATHANASIOS ANTONIOU-TSIGKOS, KONSTANTINA PASTROMA, ELENI MEMI, NIKOLAOS VRACHNIS, AND GEORGE MASTORAKOS10. Targeting infertility in PCOS: Unfolding "Ariadne's thread¿MARIANO MASCARENHAS AND ADAM H. BALEN11. Inositols and other supplements in the management of PCOSVITTORIO UNFER, GIOVANNI MONASTRA, MARCO TILOTTA, GIANPIERO FORTE, AND SIMONA DINICOLA12. Polycystic ovary syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseCARMEN EMANUELA GEORGESCU13. Cardiometabolic risk in women with PCOSENRICO CARMINAPart II: PCOS and pregnancy: Current concepts?14. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and PCOS: A novel contributor in the etiology of the syndromeEVANTHIA DIAMANTI-KANDARAKIS, OLGA PAPALOU, AND ELENI KANDARAKI15. Long-term health in women of age more than 40years with polycystic ovary syndromeELENI ARMENI AND IRENE LAMBRINOUDAKI16. Vitamin D metabolism in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)FLAVIA DI BARI AND SALVATORE BENVENGA17. The challenging role of antiandrogens in the management of polycystic ovary syndromeKASIANI PAPADIMITRIOU, PANAGIOTIS ANAGNOSTIS, AND DIMITRIOS G. GOULIS18. PCOS in adolescence: Pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, and therapeutic controversiesNICOLAS CRISOSTO