Abstract

Objective: To assess metabolic parameters in the cord blood of newborns of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and to correlate these parameters with those of mothers with PCOS during midgestation. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Unit of Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine. Patient(s): Thirty newborns of mothers with PCOS (PCOSn) and 34 newborns of control mothers (Cn) were studied. Intervention(s): A sample of cord blood was obtained at delivery. In all mothers, an oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT) with measurement of glucose and insulin was performed at 22-28 weeks of gestation. In cord blood and in the fasting sample of the oGTT, serum leptin, adiponectin, insulin, glucose, and lipids (triglycerides, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) were determined. Result(s): PCOSn showed significantly higher leptin concentrations than Cn. Moreover, in PCOSn, leptin concentrations in cord blood were correlated with birth weight (r = 0.495) and body mass index of the mother at midpregnancy (r = 0.644). Conclusion(s): The metabolic parameters in the cord blood of PCOSn are similar to those observed in controls, except for leptin concentrations, which are significantly higher. The latter could be related to the fetal adiposity or the metabolic condition of the mother. © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine.