News | PCOS significantly raises heart disease risk even at normal weight
A large long-term study across Denmark, Finland, and Sweden found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a substantially higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk is not limited to those with obesity or diabetes: women with PCOS who have normal weight and no type 2 diabetes also face a significantly higher risk of heart disease.
The study was presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology and published in the European Journal of Endocrinology.
It was led by Professor Dorte Glintborg of the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital in collaboration with Finnish and Swedish researchers.
The study included 127,517 women aged 15–50 with PCOS and 587,810 women without PCOS, with a mean follow-up of 10 years. It is believed to be the first large study to combine nationwide cohort data from three countries to systematically assess the long-term relationship between PCOS and cardiovascular disease.
Women with PCOS had a 32% higher overall risk of heart disease than women without PCOS.
More notably, cardiovascular risk was about 40% higher among women with PCOS traditionally considered low risk, including those with normal weight (BMI below 25 kg/m²) and those without type 2 diabetes.
By country, cardiovascular risk among women with PCOS was 37.7% higher in Denmark, 48.6% higher in Finland, and 41.7% higher in Sweden.
PCOS has long been viewed primarily as a disorder of ovulation, fertility, and metabolism. Because obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are common in PCOS, cardiovascular risk has usually been attributed to these metabolic conditions.
This study challenges that assumption.
Professor Dorte Glintborg said the clear cardiovascular risk among normal-weight women with PCOS suggests that the syndrome's biological mechanisms may directly affect the cardiovascular system rather than being only a secondary consequence of weight or diabetes.
The team identified high androgen levels as one possible key factor.
Women with PCOS often have higher testosterone levels, and normal-weight women with PCOS are also more likely to have elevated blood pressure, an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Researchers proposed that long-term exposure to higher androgen levels may constrict blood vessels, reduce elasticity, and increase cardiac strain.
Some people with PCOS may therefore appear lean and have no obvious metabolic abnormalities while their cardiovascular system is already under chronic strain.
The findings have important clinical implications.
The team emphasized that PCOS care remains overly focused on fertility and often overlooks long-term chronic disease risk. Many women receive no ongoing metabolic or cardiovascular follow-up after fertility treatment ends.
Professor Dorte Glintborg said PCOS may eventually be viewed not as one uniform disease but as a group of syndromes with different long-term risk patterns.
“Some patients may primarily face future diabetes risk, while others are more prone to cardiovascular disease. The long-term goal is to create a more precise risk profile for every woman, not merely focus on the next fertility treatment.”
PCOS care may therefore shift from short-term fertility treatment toward lifelong health management.
The study also reinforced the importance of regular screening. Researchers recommended that even normal-weight women with PCOS have regular monitoring of blood pressure, glucose, lipids, and other cardiovascular risk factors rather than being classified as low risk based on appearance.
As evidence increasingly links PCOS with systemic metabolism, inflammation, and vascular function, it is being redefined from a purely reproductive disorder to a complex syndrome involving reproductive, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems.
Source:
Compiled from online sources
Published 2026-05-13
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News | PCOS significantly raises heart disease risk even at normal weight
News | PCOS significantly raises heart disease risk even at normal weight
A large long-term study across Denmark, Finland, and Sweden found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a substantially higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The risk is not limited to those with obesity or diabetes: women with PCOS who have normal weight and no type 2 diabetes also face a significantly higher risk of heart disease.
The study was presented at the 28th European Congress of Endocrinology and published in the European Journal of Endocrinology.
It was led by Professor Dorte Glintborg of the University of Southern Denmark and Odense University Hospital in collaboration with Finnish and Swedish researchers.
The study included 127,517 women aged 15–50 with PCOS and 587,810 women without PCOS, with a mean follow-up of 10 years. It is believed to be the first large study to combine nationwide cohort data from three countries to systematically assess the long-term relationship between PCOS and cardiovascular disease.
Women with PCOS had a 32% higher overall risk of heart disease than women without PCOS.
More notably, cardiovascular risk was about 40% higher among women with PCOS traditionally considered low risk, including those with normal weight (BMI below 25 kg/m²) and those without type 2 diabetes.
By country, cardiovascular risk among women with PCOS was 37.7% higher in Denmark, 48.6% higher in Finland, and 41.7% higher in Sweden.
PCOS has long been viewed primarily as a disorder of ovulation, fertility, and metabolism. Because obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes are common in PCOS, cardiovascular risk has usually been attributed to these metabolic conditions.
This study challenges that assumption.
Professor Dorte Glintborg said the clear cardiovascular risk among normal-weight women with PCOS suggests that the syndrome's biological mechanisms may directly affect the cardiovascular system rather than being only a secondary consequence of weight or diabetes.
The team identified high androgen levels as one possible key factor.
Women with PCOS often have higher testosterone levels, and normal-weight women with PCOS are also more likely to have elevated blood pressure, an independent cardiovascular risk factor. Researchers proposed that long-term exposure to higher androgen levels may constrict blood vessels, reduce elasticity, and increase cardiac strain.
Some people with PCOS may therefore appear lean and have no obvious metabolic abnormalities while their cardiovascular system is already under chronic strain.
The findings have important clinical implications.
The team emphasized that PCOS care remains overly focused on fertility and often overlooks long-term chronic disease risk. Many women receive no ongoing metabolic or cardiovascular follow-up after fertility treatment ends.
Professor Dorte Glintborg said PCOS may eventually be viewed not as one uniform disease but as a group of syndromes with different long-term risk patterns.
“Some patients may primarily face future diabetes risk, while others are more prone to cardiovascular disease. The long-term goal is to create a more precise risk profile for every woman, not merely focus on the next fertility treatment.”
PCOS care may therefore shift from short-term fertility treatment toward lifelong health management.
The study also reinforced the importance of regular screening. Researchers recommended that even normal-weight women with PCOS have regular monitoring of blood pressure, glucose, lipids, and other cardiovascular risk factors rather than being classified as low risk based on appearance.
As evidence increasingly links PCOS with systemic metabolism, inflammation, and vascular function, it is being redefined from a purely reproductive disorder to a complex syndrome involving reproductive, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems.
Source:
Compiled from online sources