New PCOS Study Points to Shocking Possibility

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can cause female infertility and it can come with a slew of other serious hormone-related complications as well. Treatments are available, but most do not, as yet, address the root of the problem: the cause of the hormonal imbalance. Researchers believe they may have uncovered the key to finally understanding how it all works.

The cause of PCOS has been difficult to pinpoint. A new study seems to indicate that high levels of certain hormones during pregnancy may reprogram female fetuses to produce unusually high levels of male hormones in adulthood. One of these hormones, which normally assists in the formation of the male reproductive tract, remains abnormally high in adult sufferers. Therapies geared toward reducing these hormones may prove far more effective than a focus on increasing female hormones. Here are the details of this new approach.

PCOS: Exploring the Basics

PCOS is a disorder that affects certain hormone levels in women, most commonly causing an excess in androgens, or "male" hormones. This excess seems to lead to failed ovulation and polycystic changes to the ovaries. Another challenge facing people with this condition is that hormone imbalances can also lead to type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and chronic low-grade inflammation, some of which can eventually cause problems with the cardiovascular system. PCOS also increases the risk of endometrial cancer. So this is a serious problem.

Women with PCOS usually inherit the condition, and most sufferers struggle with acne and facial hair. Their periods may be irregular, with heavy bleeding or unusually long menstrual cycles. PCOS may also cause infertility, and women who do conceive despite the hormonal imbalances sometimes also experience complicated pregnancies and multiple miscarriages.

New Research Links PCOS to This Hormone

Pinpointing the cause of PCOS has been difficult, and this may be because researchers haven't been looking early enough into its development. A new study out of France seems to indicate that the condition may begin to form as early as the womb. Researchers found that prenatal exposure to high levels of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and similar hormones can reprogram a female to produce unhealthy amounts of male hormones in adulthood.

Here's what they think is happening: In growing fetuses, AMH is usually produced by males in their developing testes, and the hormone helps in forming the male reproductive tract. Ovarian follicles also naturally produce small amounts of AMH, but women with PCOS produce too much of it. When these women get pregnant, they expose the fetus to those high AMH levels. If the fetus is a girl, that exposure starts the PCOS cycle all over again.

These findings are opening up new avenues of research. Up until now, treatment has revolved around increasing female hormone levels and managing the remaining symptoms. Newer treatments might specifically target AMH and similar hormones, reducing the androgen levels at their source, which may help prevent many of the health issues often associated with PCOS.

This common cause of infertility could soon be a thing of the past. More research is necessary, but effective treatments may be on their way. What's more, correcting AMH levels in women now may help to prevent new cases of PCOS from occurring in the future. We're particularly excited about this breakthrough and will bring you new research as it comes up.

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