title: Socioeconomic status and polycystic ovary syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common metabolic-endocrine disorder in women and is associated with a number of metabolic morbidities. We examined the association of PCOS and its components with socioeconomic status (SES) over the life course to explore the role of the environment on the development of PCOS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included 1163 women, aged 34-39, from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Women's Study, examined at year 16 of the CARDIA study (2001). PCOS was defined according to the 1990 National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Logistic regression models, adjusted for age, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and oral contraceptive (OC) use, demonstrated a statistically significant association between those women with low parental education/high personal education and PCOS (odds ratio [OR] 2.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4-4.4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that women who experienced low childhood SES are at increased risk of PCOS, but this risk is limited to those who have personally attained a high level of education. More research is needed to determine the childhood socioeconomic factors that might influence this risk and whether conditions associated with upward life mobility play a role or if this group of at-risk women is simply more likely to recall the symptoms that define PCOS.
authors.affiliation: The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California-Los Angeles, 10945 Le Conte Avenue, CA 90095, USA. smerkin@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Sharon Stein
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Merkin
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Azziz
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seeman
authors.forename: Ronit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calderon-Margalit
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daviglus
authors.forename: Catarina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kiefe
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sternfeld
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Siscovick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors