Link between PCOS in the mother and autism in the child

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/ki-lbp120415.php

Public Release: 8-Dec-2015
Link between PCOS in the mother and autism in the child
Karolinska Institutet

Children born to mothers with polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS, are at an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorders, according to a new epidemiological study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet. The findings, which are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, support the notion that exposure to sex hormones early in life may be important for the development of autism in both sexes.

•••••

there are several lines of evidence that indicate that exposure to certain sex hormones early in life may play a role in the development of ASD. These sex hormones, known as androgens, are responsible for development of male-typical characteristics.

Androgens also affect the development of the brain and central nervous system. Since women with PCOS have increased levels of androgens even during pregnancy, the investigators hypothesised that the disorder might affect the risk of ASD in the children. 5-15 per cent of women of child-bearing age are affected by PCOS, making it one of the most common endocrine disorders.

•••••

"We found that a maternal diagnosis of PCOS increased the risk of ASD in the offspring by 59 per cent", says Kyriaki Kosidou, lead researcher on the study, at the Department of Public Health Sciences. "The risk was further increased among mothers with both PCOS and obesity, a condition common to PCOS that is related to more severely increased androgens."

ASD are about four times more common in boys than girls, but there were no observed differences in risk between boys and girls in the study.

•••••