At Puberty, Daughters of Women with PCOS Differ from Daughters of Normal Women

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with excess risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But are the daughters of affected women also at excess risk — and are they prone to metabolic and reproductive abnormalities as some experts have suggested? To consider these possibilities, investigators in Chile conducted a cross-sectional study in 99 peripubertal daughters of women with PCOS (PCOSd) and 84 daughters of control women (Cd) before or during puberty.

At all Tanner stages, ovarian volume (assessed with transabdominal ultrasound) and 2-hour insulin levels during oral glucose tolerance tests were substantially higher in PCOSd than in Cd. During late puberty, basal levels of testosterone also were substantially higher in PCOSd,…