[Disorder of Tiangui (kidney essence) and reproductive dysfunction in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome].

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) usually views polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as a menstrual disease or infertility disease. Reproductive dysfunction in PCOS is characterized by ovarian androgen excess and disturbance of follicular development, and its main clinical manifestations include delayed menstruation, scant menstruation, amenorrhea or infertility. Insulin resistance is a key pathological mechanism of PCOS. "Tiangui" (kidney essence) as a sex-stimulating essence in female in TCM theory, is essential to the menstruation and pregnancy of women. The disturbance of Tiangui (including time, status and rhythm) would result in female reproductive problems. Current studies of Tiangui indicate that ovary is the target organ of PCOS treatment, and its functional characteristics are consistent with the properties of Tiangui in time frame, state form and rhythm cycle. It is then concluded that ovarian dysfunction in PCOS can be expressed as disorder of Tiangui.