The Comparison of the Effects of Voluntary and Endurance Trainings on the Growth of Ovarian Follicles in the Rats with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Background and Objectives: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder in women, in which, the cause of infertility is lack of ovulation. The objective of the present study was to compare the effects of voluntary and endurance exercises on the ovarian follicles in the rats with PCOS.   Methods: In this experimental study, 40 female Wistar rats (with mean weight of 220±20g), were randomly divided into four groups of 10 each: 1) control, 2) patient, 3) patient+ voluntary training, and 4) patient + endurance training. The rats in the training groups, experienced voluntary training on the running wheel and aerobic exercises on a treadmill for 8 weeks (5 sessions per week). Forty-eight hours after the last training session, the rats were anesthetized and after removal of the ovaries, their tissue, were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and post hoc LSD.   Results: In this study, the two chosen exercise protocols led to reduced body weight, significant decrease in preantral and antral follicles, insignificant difference in pre-ovulatory and atretic follicles, and significant increase in corpus luteum follicles compared to the patient group, which indicate the onset of ovulation.   Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that voluntary and endurance trainings in rats have the same positive effect on the growth of ovarian follicles and ovulation.   &nbsp