ArticleJournal of developmental origins of health and disease2018
Anogenital distance in newborn daughters of women with polycystic ovary syndrome indicates fetal testosterone exposure.
Article in Journal of developmental origins of health and disease, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 79 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
79 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 138 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of Anogenital Distance and Gynecological Disorders: Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2021Pooled it
- Sustained Maternal Hyperandrogenism During PCOS Pregnancy Reduced by Metformin in Non-obese Women Carrying a Male Fetus.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2020Trial
- Challenging prior assumptions: coexistence of polycystic ovarian morphology and endometriosis on transvaginal ultrasound.Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2026Article
- Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome in pregnancy: pathophysiology and outcomes.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2026Review
- Sex differences in the developmental programming of cardiovascular and renal risk across the lifespan.American journal of physiology. Renal physiology · 2026Review
- Excess female adrenal androgen secretion is a consequence of in utero androgenic excess in sheep.Reproduction & fertility · 2026Article
- Associations of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) concentrations with birth outcomes in pregnant women from the Midwestern U.S.International journal of hygiene and environmental health · 2026Article
- Fetal exposure to paracetamol is associated with altered markers of ovarian development and reduced uterine volume in girls: the COPANA study.Human reproduction open · 2026Article
- Metabolic reprogramming in placenta and umbilical cord serum of polycystic ovary syndrome pregnancies: testosterone-associated alterations and interaction with obesity.Human reproduction open · 2026Article
- Chinese herbal medicine on the offspring of women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A retrospective cohort study.Medicine · 2025Article
- Neuroendocrine mechanisms responsible for elevated gonadotrophin-releasing hormone and luteinising hormone pulses in polycystic ovary syndrome.Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2025Review
- POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME: ORIGINS AND IMPLICATIONS: Gestational anti-Müllerian hormone and testosterone excess combined with maternal adiposity program for polycystic ovary syndrome.Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2025Review
- Prenatal exposure to a single dose of testosterone adversely affects the oocyte and embryo quality in rats during adulthood: An experimental study.International journal of reproductive biomedicine · 2025Article
- PCOS - the many faces of a disorder in women and men.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2025Review
- Exploring the Combination of Traditional Chinese and Allopathic Medicine in the Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome from the Perspective of Modern Medicine.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Review
- Dissecting the Impact of Maternal Androgen Exposure on Developmental Programming through Targeting the Androgen Receptor.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Article
- Beyond defence: Immune architects of ovarian health and disease.Seminars in immunopathology · 2024Review
- Association of prenatal chlorpyrifos exposure with sexually dimorphic differences in anogenital distance among Thai farmworker children.Environmental research · 2024Article
- Polycystic ovary syndrome.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2024Review
- Anti-Müllerian Hormone: A Molecular Key to Unlocking Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?Seminars in reproductive medicine · 2024Review
19 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects ~7% of reproductive age women. Although its etiology is unknown, in animals, excess prenatal testosterone (T) exposure induces PCOS-like phenotypes. While measuring fetal T in humans is infeasible, demonstrating in utero androgen exposure using a reliable newborn biomarker, anogenital distance (AGD), would provide evidence for a fetal origin of PCOS and potentially identify girls at risk. Using data from a pregnancy cohort (The Infant Development and Environment Study), we tested the novel hypothesis that infant girls born to women with PCOS have longer AGD, suggesting higher fetal T exposure, than girls born to women without PCOS. During pregnancy, women reported whether they ever had a PCOS diagnosis. After birth, infant girls underwent two AGD measurements: anofourchette distance (AGD-AF) and anoclitoral distance (AGD-AC). We fit adjusted linear regression models to examine the association between maternal PCOS and girls' AGD. In total, 300 mother-daughter dyads had complete data and 23 mothers reported PCOS. AGD was longer in the daughters of women with a PCOS diagnosis compared with daughters of women with no diagnosis (AGD-AF: β=1.21, P=0.05; AGD-AC: β=1.05, P=0.18). Results were stronger in analyses limited to term births (AGD-AF: β=1.65, P=0.02; AGD-AC: β=1.43, P=0.09). Our study is the first to examine AGD in offspring of women with PCOS. Our results are consistent with findings that women with PCOS have longer AGD and suggest that during PCOS pregnancies, daughters may experience elevated T exposure. Identifying the underlying causes of PCOS may facilitate early identification and intervention for those at risk.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.