PCOS may be associated with other conditions
APPLE WOMEN’S HEALTH STUDY RELEASES DATA ON A LEADING CAUSE OF INFERTILITY
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), one of the leading causes of infertility, may correlate with other conditions related to heart health and insulin levels, according to preliminary data from Apple Health. The Apple Women’s Health Study is a partnership between Apple, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
The preliminary (not peer reviewed), data released recently is based on survey responses from participants regarding their reproductive and general medical health between November 2019 and December 2021. PCOS patients in the study were almost twice as likely to report they also had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, according to a statement sent to Healthing.
Respondents with PCOS were also more likely to report an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia (5.6 per cent of participants with PCOS vs. 3.7 per cent of participants without), however, further analysis is needed to determine if this is significant.
Respondents with PCOS were also roughly four times more likely to report pre-diabetic conditions and three times more likely to have type 2 diabetes, while 61 per cent reported living with obesity.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the most common endocrine disorders in premenopausal women and is thought to affect eight to thirteen per cent of women worldwide. Approximately 1.4 million Canadians are thought to have the condition, according to the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada.
PCOS is a hormonal condition characterized by increased male hormones (androgen), according to Johns Hopkins University. Previous research from the University of Saskatchewan found a majority of study participants (79.7 per cent) with PCOS also had hyperandrogenemia — an excessive amount of male hormones like testosterone and androsterone.
Because of the hormonal imbalance, follicles in the ovaries may have trouble developing mature eggs that are released during the menstrual cycle, which can lead to irregular periods, infertility and the development of fluid-filled sacks on the ovaries (sometimes referred to as cysts). The same study from the University of Saskatchewan also found that more than 90 per cent of participants with PCOS also experienced oligoamenorrhea, experiencing only four to nine menstrual cycles per year.
PCOS is also significantly correlated with insulin resistance, a condition where cells become less responsive to signals telling them to absorb blood sugar, causing the pancreas to pump out more and more insulin. High levels of insulin are also connected to hyperandro-genemia, which may point to a relationship between the two conditions and PCOS.
And while insulin resistance is also correlated with obesity, according to one review looking specifically at the relationship between insulin resistance and PCOS: “part of the insulin resistance appears to be independent of obesity and related specifically to PCOS.” At the same time, many women with PCOS do not have obesity, indicating another relationship could be at play.
For a condition characterized as one of the leading causes of infertility in women, there isn’t a lot of conclusive data on what causes PCOS — although the likelihood of developing it is higher in women with close relatives who also have the condition — or how to treat it.
Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said “we must understand the burden of gynecological disease by addressing the research gap in women’s and menstrual health research. Our study hopes to empower women to contribute ... data as they go about their everyday lives.”