Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) have a high risk of developing type-2 diabetes, even if they are young and have normal weight, a new study shows.
PCOS is a hormonal disorder and is common in women of reproductive ages. The condition is the leading cause of infertility in young women. PCOS is characterized by the presence of clusters of small pearl-like cysts in the ovaries. The condition often goes undetected.
The latest study was conducted by researchers at the Monash University and was based on data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health.
For the study, researchers looked at medical information from 6000 women aged between 25 and 28 years. All women were tracked from 2003 to 2012. The study included 500 women with PCOS.
Researchers found that the incidence and prevalence of type-2 diabetes was three to five times higher in women with PCOS than in other women.
What's more is that obesity, which is a crucial factor in type-2 diabetes, wasn't associated with the rise in diabetes risk in women with PCOS. The study shows that PCOS might be an independent risk factor for diabetes.
"Our research found that there is a clear link between PCOS and diabetes. However, PCOS is not a well-recognised diabetes risk factor and many young women with the condition don't get regular diabetes screening even pre pregnancy, despite recommendations from the Australian PCOS evidence based guidelines," said Helena Teede, lead author of the study.
An estimated 5 million women in the United States have PCOS. Even girls as young as 11 years can suffer from the condition, Womenshealthgov states.
"Currently diabetes screening guidelines recommend screening over 40 years of age. This may need to be reconsidered in women with PCOS. We clearly need more research in PCOS, with better screening, prevention and treatments," Teede added in a news release.
The study was presented at the International Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society (ICE/ENDO) in Chicago, which took place 21-24 June.