Normal Pubertal Development in Daughters of Women With PCOS: A Controlled Study

The study with 76 daughters of mothers with PCOS and 80 daughters of control mothers found that pubertal development in daughters of women with PCOS was largely similar to that of daughters of control mothers. There were no significant differences in most reproductive and metabolic characteristics, including urinary gonadotropins, sex steroids, salivary insulin levels, body composition, or ovarian volume. However, daughters of PCOS mothers had a higher incidence of hirsutism (69% in Tanner 4/5) compared to control daughters (31%) and an increased android/gynoid fat ratio in Tanner stages 2/3. The study concluded that daughters of PCOS mothers may not require excessive evaluation and intervention if asymptomatic, but it noted limitations such as potential bias, the cross-sectional nature of the study, and the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the sample. Further research with larger and more diverse samples was recommended.