title: Low birth-weight is a PCOS risk factor for Southern-Italian women.
abstract: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine and metabolic disorder, characterized by chronic anovulation/oligomenorrhea, hyperandrogenism and insulin-resistance. Initial studies on the genetic basis of this disorder suggested both a maternal and paternal pattern of inheritance. Birth weight has become a main factor to consider when investigating the etiology of an adult-onset disease, since it is a simple indicator of intrauterine adverse conditions. The aim of our study is to validate the "low birth-weight" as risk factor for the development of PCOS. We performed a retrospective study on 188 PCOS patients and 185 controls, showing that Southern-Italian PCOS population have a significant lower birth-weight comparing to the control population; interestingly, PCOS women with low and normal low weight at birth show higher levels of androgens. Taken together, our result highlights the importance of the "birth-weight" factor for PCOS anamnesis.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Obstetric and Gynecological Pathology, Santo Bambino Hospital, University of Catania , Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stracquadanio
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Obstetric and Gynecological Pathology, Santo Bambino Hospital, University of Catania , Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ciotta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011085:Polycystic Ovary Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Insulin resistance; low birth-weight; polycystic ovary syndrome; risk factor