Children of mothers with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may have an increased risk for autism, new research from Sweden suggests.
This study is the first to find such a link, the researchers said.
PCOS, also known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome, is one of the most common hormonal endocrine disorders in women.
PCOS has been recognized and diagnosed for 75 years.
There are many signs and symptoms that a woman may experience. Since PCOS cannot be diagnosed with one test alone and symptoms vary from woman to woman, PCOS has been known as the “Silent Killer."
Early diagnosis of PCOS is important as it has been linked to an increased risk for developing several medical risks including insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease.
According to U.S. News & World Report, PCOS affects five to 15% of women of childbearing age.
"We found that a maternal diagnosis of PCOS increased the risk of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring by 59 percent," lead researcher Kyriaki Kosidou, of the department of public health sciences at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said in an institute news release.
However, the study only shows an association between PCOS and autism in offspring. It wasn't designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship, U.S. News & World Report says.
The investigators identified about 24,000 children with an autism spectrum disorder born in Sweden between 1984 and 2007. The researchers then compared them to 200,000 children without the developmental disorder.
"The risk was further increased among mothers with both PCOS and obesity, a condition common to PCOS," Kosidou explained.
The study was published online December 8th in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
CLICK HERE for much more on this study via the Karolinska Institute.
CLICK HERE to learn more about PCOS via the PCOS Foundation's website.
CLICK HERE to learn more about autism via the CDC.