Metabolomic biomarkers in pregnant women with polycystic ovary syndrome

This project will measure metabolites in pregnant women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), to establish whether these can be used as novel biomarkers to predict the risk of complications and poor health outcomes for the mother and/or infant. Metabolite biomarkers will be measured in early pregnancy and compared between women with and without PCOS to see if they differ by disease status. We will also examine whether these biomarkers are related to features of PCOS such as obesity, blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol, or hormone levels, or with pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes mellitus or preterm labour. We expect that this research will provide new insights into how PCOS affects pregnancy pathways to influence the health of the mother and baby, and it may help us understand which women with PCOS are at greatest risk of pregnancy complications, to facilitate early identification, prevention and treatment.