Kiwi scientists have made a discovery which could help fertility in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
PCOS affects around 10 percent of women of childbearing age. Many of them are infertile.
Women with PCOS are known to have high levels of a specific hormone in their blood, called anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), but how it may cause or worsen symptoms had been unclear.
Now, an international team including University of Otago scientists have discovered that the hormone acts in the brain to overexcite the nerve cells that control ovarian function. It can lead to abnormally high levels of androgens (male sex hormones) and ovarian cysts.
"This research suggests that reducing AMH concentrations in PCOS women to normal levels may bring their ovarian function, including fertility, back to normal," Professor Allan Herbison says.
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