University of Virginia Health System

University of Virginia Reproduction Center Awarded $5 Million by National Institutes of Health

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome, causes women to have a variety of symptoms including: irregular or no periods; infertility problems; excess facial hair; obesity and high insulin levels; a higher incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease; and increased rates of uterine cancer.

Although doctors have known since the 1930s that PCOS was related to fertility problems, it is only in the last three to five years that doctors have discovered that there are underlying, more serious health risks associated with the disorder, said Dr. John Marshall, professor of internal medicine at U.Va. and principal investigator of the study. The purpose of this study is to examine the two leading theories as to the cause of the syndrome and hopefully, uncover the root problem.

The first theory is that PCOS is caused by an abnormality in the part of the brain, the hypothalamus, that causes an incorrect hormone signal to be sent to the ovaries. This wrong message tells the ovaries to produce too much male hormone, Marshall said.

The second theory is that the real problem is in the ovary itself; either its ability to manufacture the steroid -- male and female -- hormones is out of balance, or insulin is somehow changing the way the ovaries make steroid hormones.

Of course, it could be facets of all three, Marshall said.

The research team at U.Va. will study the disorder from both a clinical and basic science perspective. The clinical trial, which focuses on ovarian responses to signaling mechanisms, is a joint project with Dr. John Nestler of the Medical College of Virginia.

U.Va.'s center was one of only four reproduction centers in the country to receive funding from NIH. The other centers are at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland and Baylor University.

May 20, 1998