Maternal polycystic ovarian syndrome and early offspring development: The Upstate KIDS Study

Authors

• GA Bell
• R Sundaram
• SL Mumford
• HJ Park
• MR Broadney
• JL Mills
• EM Bell
• EH Yeung

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that offspring of mothers with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may be at higher risk for developmental disorders. We examined the relationship between maternal PCOS and offspring development through 36 months of age. METHODS: The Upstate KIDS Study is a population-based prospective cohort study of infants born between 2008 and 2010 in New York State (excluding New York City). Mothers’ PCOS status was reported on the baseline study questionnaire. Parents completed Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) on their child’s development every 4-6 months of age until 36 months covering fine motor, gross motor, communication, personal-social functioning, and problem-solving cognitive domains. We used generalized linear mixed models to estimate odds ratios (OR) between PCOS diagnosis and failures in the ASQ adjusted for maternal characteristics including pre-pregnancy BMI and diabetes. RESULTS: In all, 4,453 mothers completed one or more developmental screening instruments for 5,388 children (35.5% twins). In total, 457 mothers (10.3%) reported a diagnosis of PCOS. PCOS was associated with increased risk of the offspring failing the fine motor domain, (aOR 1.77; 95% CI: 1.09-2.89), largely driven by higher risk in female singletons (2.23; 1.16-4.29). Twins of mothers with PCOS had higher risk of failing the communication (1.94; 1.19-3.18) and personal-social functioning (1.76; 1.12-2.77) domains compared to twins born to mothers without PCOS. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal PCOS was associated with higher risk of several developmental delays in offspring, particularly among females. This represents the first study of PCOS and early childhood development in a large, prospective US cohort.

Scientific Focus Area: Epidemiology

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