• T M Barber.
• Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Clinical Sciences Research Laboratories, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry CV2 2DX, UK.
• Br. Med. Bull. 2022 Sep 22; 143 (1): 4154-15.

IntroductionPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition characterized by reproductive, hyperandrogenic and dysmetabolic features, and often becomes clinically manifest during adolescence, particularly with weight-gain.Sources Of DataPubmed search.Areas Of AgreementPCOS is heritable and closely associates with obesity (based on data from both epidemiological and genetic studies). Furthermore, insulin resistance forms a central cornerstone of the pathogenesis of PCOS and mediates a close association between obesity and the severity of the phenotypic features of PCOS.Areas Of ControversyOur understanding of the pathogenesis of PCOS remains incomplete, especially regarding its missing heritability (with only a small fraction having been identified from the genome-wide association studies reported to date), and its developmental origins.Growing PointsA challenge for the future is to explore a role for epigenetic modifications in the development of PCOS, and implications for the in utero environment and novel therapeutic opportunities.© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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