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BookmarkScienceDaily (Jun. 2, 2007) — Researchers in endocrinology and obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will discuss a gene that appears to play a role in the development of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrine disorder among reproductive-age women, at upcoming meetings.
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Women with PCOS have many small cysts on the periphery of the ovaries and suffer from symptoms that include menstrual irregularities, excess weight, skin problems and an excess of male-type hair growth called hirsutism. These women also are often found to have insulin resistance, a condition that allows high levels of insulin to circulate in the blood, which increases risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
PCOS also is associated with excessive levels of androgens -- "male" hormones that normally exist at low levels in women. The effects on androgen production by hormones secreted by fat tissue (adipokines) are being studied at Cedars-Sinai, and several researchers will present related findings at the meetings. Researchers also will present preliminary evidence that the level of androgens produced by the adrenal glands of pre-adolescent girls may serve as markers of the risk of PCOS.
Ricardo Azziz, M.D., chairman of Cedars-Sinai's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will open the Androgen Excess Society meeting with a brief history of the study of androgen excess disorders. The Androgen Excess Society meets June 1. The Endocrine Society meeting extends from June 2 through 5. Both will be held in Toronto, Canada.
