Maternal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in relation to child neurodevelopment
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a major endocrine disorder and one of the leading causes of fertility issues in women of reproductive age across the United States. Additionally, some research indicates that maternal PCOS during pregnancy may have health impacts on the developing child. For instance, a limited literature suggests that children born to mothers with PCOS are at higher risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders, possibly due to heightened early exposure to androgens.
METHODS: We used data from mothers and children in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)study, a nationwide “cohort of cohorts”. A total of 1,202 mother-child dyads provided data on maternal PCOS status and child Social Responsiveness Scale-2nd Edition (SRS-2) scores for the current analyses. We used minimally and fully adjusted linear regression models to analyze the relationship between maternal PCOS status and SRS scores (overall and by sub-scales).
RESULTS: Of the 1,202 dyads in the study, 145 mothers reported a PCOS diagnosis. In minimally adjusted models, compared to mothers without PCOS, mothers with PCOS had children whose SRS scores were 0.21 units lower (95% CI = -4.35 to 3.93; p-value = 0.92). When adjusted for covariates, mothers with PCOS had children with SRS scores that were 0.47 higher (95% CI = -3.60 to 4.54; p-value = 0.82) than children of mothers without PCOS. Similarly null results were seen for associations between maternal PCOS status and the five subscales of the SRS-2.
CONCLUSION: In contrast to some prior work, we did not observe any associations between maternal PCOS status and child social responsiveness. Additional work in cohorts with larger numbers of PCOS cases is needed to better understand associations between maternal PCOS and child neurodevelopment.
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2024