Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Conditions
Brief summary
The source of PCOS is unknown. Our hypothesis is that over exposure to testosterone of the foetus in utero alters the expression of genes thought to be involved in the cause of PCOS.
Detailed description
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affecting 10-15% of the female population causes excess hair, acne, irregular/absent ovulation, infertility and is associated with hypertension, diabetes, heart attacks and stroke in later life. The economic care-related burden of the syndrome is estimated at $4.36 billion/year in the USA. The root cause is unknown and although mostly familial, the offending genes are unknown. We believe that excess testosterone, to which the foetus is exposed during its life in the womb, causes development of PCOS in adult life. If a mother with PCOS exposes her foetus to high testosterone levels compared to one with no PCOS, this would be the first step in proving the developmental hypothesis for PCOS, opening the door to methods to prevent the appearance of the distressing symptoms of PCOS in adult life. With no access to the foetal environment, we have used the surrogate measure of sebum on the skin of the newborn, 99% influenced by testosterone. Our pilot study (Homburg et al, 2017) used absorbent paper to measure sebum excretion in PCOS and controls within 24 hours and 1-24 weeks after birth in mother and baby. Higher sebum production in female babies of PCOS mothers strongly supported our hypothesis. The present proposal utilizes a 30-second, non-invasive, quantitative measurement of sebum (Sebumeter®) in the newborn from PCOS mothers and controls, within 24 hours of birth. We will correlate results with other features in both female and male newborn that may suggest hyper-exposure to testosterone and with maternal testosterone levels in the blood. If confirming the findings of our pilot study in line with the developmental theory of PCOS, this could be used within 24 hours of birth to predict development of PCOS in adult life, induce measures to prevent the symptoms of PCOS and reduce the enormous health burden on patients and economies
Interventions
DIAGNOSTIC_TESTSebum test
Measuring sebum in newborn
Sponsors
Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
pregnant women with and without PCOS will be recruited in mid pregnancy. the newborn will be examined for sebum production and the two groups compared with each other and with and maternal testosterone levels.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
30 Minutes to 1 Days
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Women (with and without a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome) aged 18-40 with an uncomplicated singleton pregnancy, who deliver a baby at term (37 weeks gestation or longer). Women in the PCOS cohort will be defined by the ESHRE/ASRM Rotterdam criteria. Women with no signs of PCOS who deliver a term baby will serve as the control group.
Exclusion criteria
Patients who decline consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sebum secretion | 30 seconds | Do term babies of mothers with PCOS have significantly increased sebum output in the neonatal period compared with those from mothers without PCOS |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Maternal testosterone levels | 1 minute | The correlation between the maternal blood levels of androgens during pregnancy and the quantity of sebum produced by the newborn? |
| Ano-genital distance and finger length in the newborn | 15 minute | Correlation of the level of sebum production in the neonate with other measures (ano-genital distance, finger lengths) of androgen exposure of the foetus during pregnancy? |
Countries
United Kingdom
Contacts
Primary ContactRoy Homburg
Backup Contactclaudia Rapperport
Outcome results
None listed