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Is the development of autism in a child "blamed" on the mother's polycysticism?
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome are more likely to give birth to children with autism, a common disorder that significantly complicates a person's life in society, according to information released by experts representing the University of Cambridge.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a problem that affects one in ten women on the planet. The development of this disease is caused by an increase in testosterone levels in the blood. The syndrome is characterized by the appearance of cystic formations in the ovaries, such cysts have liquid contents. The main signs of the pathology are considered to be violations of puberty, menstrual cycle disorders, etc.
In their new research project, scientists have discovered that the presence of polycystic disease in an expectant mother increases the risk of autism in the newborn baby.
Scientists had already established a little earlier that during the period of intrauterine development of a child with autism, there is an excess of certain hormonal substances, including testosterone. Doctors assumed that this could explain the fact that boys are more often affected by autism.
In a new project, scientists tried to figure out why the level of certain hormones increases. In doing so, they considered the main assumption of specialists, which was that the "extra" hormones are transferred to the baby from their mother.
To test the hypothesis, information on more than eight thousand patients diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, as well as their children, was analyzed. Then a comparative analysis of information obtained on 41 thousand women with healthy ovaries who gave birth was conducted. After completing the calculations, the results were adjusted: the scientists took into account the presence of women with certain psychological problems, as well as those who had any complications during pregnancy that could affect the development of autism in the baby. As a result, it was found that women with polycystic disease gave birth to autistic children in 2.3% of cases, and women without polycystic disease - in 1.7% of cases.
Many will notice that there is a percentage difference, but it is small. Therefore, scientists do not claim a direct influence of the disease on the emergence of the child's problem, but they set a new goal for themselves: perhaps they are already very close to solving the mechanism of autism development. As experts point out, they have also discovered a reverse relationship: patients with autism suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome more often than women without autism disorder. Agree, experts still have something to work on.
The results of the scientists’ work are presented in the publication Translational Psychiatry (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-018-0186-7).