Maternal Androgen Excess Significantly Impairs Sexual Behavior in Male and Female Mouse Offspring: Perspective for a Biological Origin of Sexual Dysfunction in PCOS

February 2023 in “ Frontiers in Endocrinology ”

Nina Donaldson, Melanie Prescott, Amy Ruddenklau, Rebecca E. Campbell, Elodie Desroziers

androgen excess Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCOS prenatally androgenized PNA sexual behavior lordosis behavior sexual dysfunction

TLDR Too much male hormone in mothers can negatively affect the sexual behavior of both male and female baby mice.

The study examined the effects of maternal androgen excess, a condition linked to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), on the sexual behavior of male and female mouse offspring. Using a prenatally androgenized (PNA) mouse model, the study found that both male and female offspring showed significant impairment in their sexual behaviors. Male mice exhibited altered sexual behaviors, such as increased time to mount and intromit a female, and decreased number of mounts and thrusts, but their ability to fertilize a female was unaffected. Female mice showed a sustained impairment in lordosis behavior, a key aspect of female sexual receptivity. The study involved male (n=9-12/group) and female (n=6-11/group) mice. These findings suggest that prenatal androgen exposure could impact the development of sexual behaviors, potentially providing a biological origin for sexual dysfunction in PCOS.

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