United States: New research has showcased that women with pregnancy and the ovarian cyst condition called, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are more likely to deliver underweight babies.
The risk is heightened even more if the woman with PCOS is also overweight, according to the study.
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According to Dr. Eszter Vanky, the lead study author, “In women of normal weight who have PCOS, we only find that their children have a lower birth weight compared to women who do not have PCOS,” US News reported.
Moreover, “It is the group of children born to mothers with obesity that stands out the most,” she added.
“These babies have lower weight, shorter stature, and a smaller head circumference. Obesity places an additional burden on mothers who have PCOS and their children,” Vanky continued.
PCOS condition
PCOS is a prevailing gynecological disease; the disturbing occurrence is taking place in every eight women of childbearing age.
It is a hormonal disorder that features high amounts of male hormones that result in a scanty or absent menstrual cycle as well as the formation of tiny cysts in the ovaries.
In the new study, the researchers analyzed information about 70,000 children, including 390 children born from mothers with PCOS.
The babies of women having PCOS also had comparatively lower birth weights, were shorter, and had a smaller head size than children of women not having the disorder.
But, the sizes of newborns differed most significantly when the mom with PCOS was also obese, said Vanky’s group.
Furthermore, these findings suggest a somewhat surprising impact, as Vanky noted because “women who are generally overweight and gain a lot of weight during pregnancy usually have an increased risk of giving birth to large babies.”
“This also applies to women who develop gestational diabetes,” she added.
“On average, women with PCOS have higher BMIs, gain more weight during pregnancy and 25 percent of them develop gestational diabetes. However, the outcome is the opposite: these women give birth to babies who are smaller than average,” she continued.
Another problem is that the presence of obesity and PCOS frequently go hand in hand, the authors pointed out.
“We still don’t know why, but we see that the placenta is affected in these women,” Vanky mentioned.
“The placenta delivers nutrients to the baby through the umbilical cord. In women with PCOS, we see that the placenta is generally smaller in size. At the same time, it must provide everything the baby needs, so it has to work very hard to meet these demands. Sometimes, however, the placenta can’t keep up, which can lead to placental insufficiency and, in rare cases, fetal death,” US News reported.