Researchers define two genetic subtypes of PCOS

Recognition of the heterogeneity of the condition could lead to better-targeted treatments, the investigators say
Clare Pain

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can be classified into at least two subtypes that appear to reflect underlying biological differences, US researchers say.

Their cluster analysis of 893 women, all of European ancestry and diagnosed with PCOS according to US National Institutes of Health criteria, revealed two phenotypically-distinct clusters which the investigators dubbed ‘reproductive’ and ‘metabolic’.