Heritability of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Role of Antimullerian Hormone, Steroids and Leptin

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of ovulation disorders and affects 10 to 15% of women. Despite its frequency, its physiopathology remains unknown. In women, Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is secreted by granulosa cells located in the ovaries within the follicles. Compared to control women, serum AMH level is higher in PCOS women and could play a role in its pathophysiology. The severity of the PCOS phenotype is correlated with the production of AMH. It is currently described in the literature that daughters of women with PCOS have a 50% risk of developing PCOS, but no genetic cause of transmission is known. In mice (article in press), pregnant females injected with AMH give birth to offspring with PCOS symptoms. The AMH could thus also play a role in the heritability of PCOS in women. Our team demonstrated that AMH, in its active cleaved form, had a direct central action on the hypothalamus by increasing the pulsatility of GnRH, inducing LH hypersecretion. The hypothesis is that AMH remains higher in pregnant women with PCOS and may affect the fetus by altering fetal and maternal hypothalamic secretions or by modifying placental steroid production. Leptin has a role in reproduction, through its receptors located at the central (hypothalamus) and peripheral (granulosa cells) levels. In excessively high serum concentration, as observed in obesity, it would lead to a dysregulation of GnRH secretion, an alteration of ovarian steroidogenesis and a dysregulation of folliculogenesis. Will be compare leptin levels in first trimester patients with and without PCOS to look for possible correlations between AMH and leptin and eliminate possible bias.