A Genetically Defined Male Counterpart of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Evidence for Ovarian-Independent Pathogenesis

    May 2021 in “ Journal of the Endocrine Society ”
    Jia Zhu, Laura Brigitte Leen Wittemans, Cecilia M. Lindgren, Joel N. Hirschhorn, Yee-Ming Chan
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    TLDR Men with high genetic risk for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) have increased chances of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and hair loss, showing PCOS risk factors can affect both genders.
    The study "A Genetically Defined Male Counterpart of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Evidence for Ovarian-Independent Pathogenesis" investigated a male equivalent of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) using a polygenic risk score (PRS) algorithm based on 206,851 unrelated women of European ancestry, and applied it to 176,360 men. The results showed that men with a high PCOS PRS (top 20%) had a 17% increased risk of obesity, 15% increased risk of type 2 diabetes, 5% increased risk of coronary artery disease, and 5% increased risk for androgenic alopecia. The study concluded that PCOS genetic risk factors can act independently of ovarian function, suggesting that the reproductive dysfunction of PCOS in women may arise secondarily from disruption of biological pathways common to both men and women.
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