Polycystic ovary syndrome is a widespread condition among women of reproductive age, and a new study suggests that it may also put these women at a significant risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The research was carried out by Denmark-based scientists and the findings were published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the leading cause of female infertility, with up to 5 million women in the United States affected by the condition.
Women with PCOS often have insulin resistance, which is a condition wherein the muscles, fat, and liver do not respond properly to the hormone, so the body keeps producing more of it.
Excessive insulin production is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. But as the authors of the new research report, there are insufficient prospective population-based studies to date that have studied the connection between PCOS and type 2 diabetes.
The new study aims to fill this research gap. Katrine Hass Rubin, of the Institute of Clinical Research at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, is the first study author, and the corresponding author is Dorte Glintborg, Ph.D., of the…