Human Reproduction, Vol. 17, No. 3, 771-776,
March 2002
© 2002 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Polycystic ovaries in childhood: a common finding in daughters of PCOS patients. A pilot study
1 Reproductive Medicine Unit, 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Bologna and 3 Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and 3a Pediatrics, University of Modena, Italy
BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a controversial endocrine pathology and, recently, it has been suggested that the condition is hereditary. The aim of this study was to prospectively determine in daughters of patients with PCOS, by ultrasonographic (US) and colour Doppler analyses, the incidence of polycystic ovaries and search any correlation with specific hormonal parameters. METHODS: Fifteen prepubertal offspring (Group I) of patients with PCOS and 10 normal control prepubertal girls (Group II) were submitted to clinical, auxological, and basal hormonal assay. In addition all patients were submitted to US and colour Doppler ovarian and uterine evaluation. RESULTS: Among Group I girls the prevalence of polycystic ovaries was 93%, whereas no subjects among Group II had polycystic ovaries. The ovarian volume (2.76 ± 1.21 ml versus 0.87 ± 0.46 ml; P < 0.001) and the number of small sized follicles (5.36 ± 2.2 versus 0.75 ± 0.92; P < 0.001) were significantly higher in Group I than Group II patients. In addition, a normal stromal score and an absent stromal vascularization was observed in the control group. The hormone levels did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In conclusion we speculate that polycystic ovaries in childhood may be considered a sign of genetic predisposition to PCOS and that environmental factors may express the adult clinical and hormonal presentation of the syndrome.
Key words: childhood/Doppler/echography/heredity/PCOS
5 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Reproductive Medicine Unit, University of Bologna, Via Massarenti, 13 40138 Bologna, Italy. E-mail: battaglia{at}med.unibo.it
Submitted on March 21, 2001; resubmitted on August 3, 2001
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