The evolutionary basis of elevated testosterone in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: an overview of systematic reviews of the evidence.

ABSTRACT: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibits high prevalence and heritability despite causing negative impacts on fertility and fecundity. Previous hypotheses have postulated that some PCOS-associated traits, especially above-average levels of testosterone, were associated with benefits in ancestral environments. As such, PCOS would represent, in part, a maladaptive extreme of adaptations related to relatively high testosterone. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a series of systematic literature reviews on the associations of testosterone levels, and prenatal testosterone metrics, with measures of strength, robustness, muscularity, and athleticism in females. We also systematically reviewed the literature on associations of testosterone with dominance in females and reviewed archaeolo

SUBMITTER: Bushell A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11471738 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature