ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have masculinized finger length patterns compared to women without PCOS. DESIGN: A case control study. SETTING: University teaching hospital and in vitro fertilization unit. PATIENT(S): Seventy women aged between 18 and 40 years with PCOS were compared to 70 women without PCOS. INTERVENTION(S): Measurement of the second to fourth finger length ratio on the ventral surface of the left and right hand from the basal crease of the digit to the tip was made using Vernier calipers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The second to fourth finger length ratio. RESULT(S): We found a significantly reduced ratio in the right hand of the women with PCOS compared to the controls. The geometric mean right finger length ratio in the PCOS group was 98.3% that of the controls (95% confidence interval, 99.3%-97.3%). CONCLUSION(S): Here we show a subtle difference in the finger length pattern of women with PCOS. This may constitute anatomical evidence of in utero androgen exposure in PCOS.
Subject(s)
Androgens/physiology , Fingers/anatomy & histology , Fingers/embryology , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/physiopathology , Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/physiopathology , Adolescent , Adult , Body Mass Index , Case-Control Studies , Female , Functional Laterality , Humans , Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/etiology , Pregnancy , Sex CharacteristicsABSTRACT
Metabolic abnormalities and obesity have long been associated with the development of cardiovascular disease in the general population. These same features are also associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). An increased prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obesity and hyperinsulinaemia, as well as changes in coagulation and blood vessel function, provide an explanation as to why women with PCOS are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease over the long term.
