A Study on the Pattern of Genetic Inheritance of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Aims: Inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is still a controversy. Our study aims to analyze the family history of PCOS features and related metabolic disturbances including the male members to determine the mode of their inheritance.
Study Design: A cross sectional study with convenient sampling.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore between 2009 and 2012.
Methodology: Demographic data such as body weight and age was recorded. Menstrual, obstetric and medical history of 85 PCOS females was collected. Presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) was confirmed. Blood pressure and waist circumference were measured. Biochemical and hormonal estimations were done. Relevant information required for the study of 604 members of first and second generation relatives was collected. SPSS (version 17.0) was used to analyze the data.
Results: Seventy eight percent of the PCOS patients were either overweight or obese and 98% of them had hirsutism. Approximately, 33% of them had MetS which was higher in the first generation (62%) of PCOS relatives. An equal transmission of MetS characteristics from the paternal and maternal side indicated that it was not X- linked inheritance. Segregation analysis of nine families PCOS of patients suggested that MetS inheritance was autosomal dominant although PCOS inheritance was not.
Conclusion: PCOS daughters come from families of MetS suggesting that parental MetS features may be related to the occurrence of PCOS in their off-springs.