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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Nov 8;11(1):569.
doi: 10.1038/s41398-021-01699-8.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between maternal polycystic ovary syndrome and neuropsychiatric disorders in children

Pallavi Dubey  1 , Bhaskar Thakur  2 , Sheryl Rodriguez  3 , Jessika Cox  3 , Sheralyn Sanchez  1 , Anacani Fonseca  4 , Sireesha Reddy  1 , Deborah Clegg  5   6 , Alok Kumar Dwivedi  7   8   9
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between maternal polycystic ovary syndrome and neuropsychiatric disorders in children

Pallavi Dubey et al. Transl Psychiatry. .

Abstract

There is emerging evidence demonstrating an association between maternal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, however, the cumulative effect of maternal PCOS on the development of ASD or other neuropsychiatry disorders (NPD) in children and separately for males and females has not been examined. We sought to systematically evaluate the influence of maternal PCOS on a wide range of NPD including ASD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic tic disorder (CDT), other behavior disorders, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia in children as well as in women of reproductive age only. We queried electronic databases including PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, until March 2021. We used DerSimonian and Laird (D-L) random effects method to compute pooled effect size in terms of odds ratio (OR). Nineteen studies (1667851 mothers, 2260622 children) were included in this study. Mothers with PCOS had an increased odds of children diagnosed with ASD (OR = 1.40, p < 0.001), ADHD (OR = 1.42, p < 0.001), CTD (OR = 1.44, p = 0.001), anxiety (OR = 1.33, p < 0.001), as well as other behavioral symptoms (OR = 1.45, p < 0.001) in the adjusted analysis. The association between maternal PCOS and ASD (OR: 1.43 vs. 1.66), ADHD (OR: 1.39 vs. 1.54), and CTD (OR: 1.42 vs. 1.51) was found to be significantly consistent between males and females, respectively. Our data do not suggest increased fetal testosterone exposure is associated with increased autistic traits in children. However, PCOS was significantly associated with increased odds of a wide range of NPD in women themselves. Maternal PCOS is a risk factor for various NPD with a similar extent in their children regardless of their underlying comorbidities. Managing PCOS is essential for women's health as well as for their children's health. More research is needed to determine the mechanisms and links between maternal PCOS and NPD in children.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. The selection process of studies for meta-analysis.
PRISMA flowchart. PRISMA Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Maternal PCOS on the development of ASD and ADHD in children using the analysis of cohort studies.
PCOS polycystic ovary syndrome, ASD Autism spectrum disorder, ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Association of maternal PCOS and NPD in children by their sex.
PCOS polycystic ovary syndrome, NPD neuropsychiatry disorders, OR odds ratio, CI confidence interval.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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