Reproduction Abstracts

Hyperandrogenism and dysregulated follicle development both characterise polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), however little is known about how androgens affect early preantral follicle development. Recent evidence suggests that androgens may act, in part, through non-classical modulation of growth factor signalling pathways. Members of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family play a role in promoting preantral follicle development in the mouse, with receptor subtypes EGFR, ErbB2...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects over 5% of women of reproductive age. It is associated with an ovulatory infertility, menstrual disturbances as well as metabolic abnormalities including obesity and insulin resistance. PCOS has a strong genetic basis but studies of ovarian gene expression in PCOS are limited by the difficulty in obtaining tissue samples from women with and without PCOS. For that reason, most studies have been performed in granulosa–lutein (GL) cel...