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Objective The present study aimed to clarify the conflicting association of premenopausal hyperandrogenaemia (HA) with the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVDs) in women. Design A population-based cohort study including 5889 women. Methods The association of serum testosterone (T), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and free androgen index (FAI) at age 31 with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension (BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg and/or use of antihypertensive medication) at ages 31 and 46 and with CVDs (angina pectoris [AP] and/or acute myocardial infarction [AMI] n = 74, transitory cerebral ischaemia and/or stroke n = 150) and combined CVD events (AP, AMI, stroke, heart failure, or CVD mortality n = 160) by age 53 was investigated. Results T and FAI were positively associated with systolic and diastolic BP at ages 31 and 46 in the multivariable model. Compared to their lowest quartile, the highest quartiles of T and FAI were positively associated with hypertension at age 31 in the multivariable model. During the 22-year follow-up, FAI was positively associated with increased risk of AP/AMI (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.06 - 3.85) and overall CVD events or mortality (HR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.02 - 2.33) in the unadjusted models. However, the significance disappeared after adjusting for body mass index (BMI). Conclusions Women with HA at premenopausal age had an elevated risk of hypertension, and together with BMI, increased risk of CVD events and CVD mortality during the 22-year follow-up. However, because of several study limitations regarding ethnicity and BMI characteristics, a longer follow-up of this cohort and future studies in ethnically diverse populations are needed to verify the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This population-based follow-up study investigated register-based disease diagnoses and medication use up till age of 50 years among women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that were identified from a population-based birth cohort. Design Population-based longitudinal cohort study. Patients Women reporting oligo/amenorrhea and hirsutism at age 31 and/or who were diagnosed with PCOS by a physician by age 46 (n = 244) and women without PCOS symptoms or diagnosis (n = 1556) in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966. Main Outcome Measures National register data on diagnosed diseases (International Statistical Classification of Diseases [ICD]-8-10) and medication use (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical) until the age of 50. Results Women with PCOS had a 26% higher risk for any registered diagnosis (risk ratio [RR]: 1.26 [1.09-1.46]) and a 24% higher risk for medication use (RR: 1.24 [1.05-1.46]) compared with non-PCOS women, even after adjusting for several confounders. Several main ICD categories were more prevalent among women with PCOS versus non-PCOS controls, eg, endocrine, metabolic, nervous system, musculoskeletal, and genitourinary diseases in addition with different symptoms and injuries. Surprisingly, even though the overall morbidity was only increased in women with PCOS with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2, there were several ICD main categories that showed higher comorbidity risk especially in women with PCOS with a BMI < 25 kg/m2. Several medications were prescribed more often to women with PCOS versus non-PCOS controls, eg, medications related to the alimentary tract and metabolism, the cardiovascular system, genitourinary system drugs and sex hormones, dermatologic and hormonal preparations, and medications to treat the musculoskeletal, nervous, and respiratory systems. Conclusion Women with PCOS are burdened with multimorbidity and higher medication use, independent of BMI and other confounders. Accordingly, preventive strategies are needed to alleviate the disease burden and improve the health outcomes of women with PCOS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Material and Methods Results Conclusions Circadian rhythm disruption has been associated with the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), as the evening chronotype (EC) shares several traits with PCOS, including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and psychiatric disorders. It has been suggested that the biological clock could be targeted with new, preventive, and therapeutic strategies for PCOS in women with biorhythm disorders. We evaluated inner circadian rhythmicity in middle‐aged women with PCOS in a population‐based setting, focusing on whether women with PCOS and an EC have a specific subtype in relation to their clinical characteristics.The data derived from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort, a population‐based longitudinal birth cohort of 12 058 individuals born in 1966. We compared the circadian phenotype between 314 women with PCOS (according to the Rotterdam criteria) and 1248 women without PCOS at age 46 years using the validated Finnish shortened 6‐item Morningness‐Eveningness Questionnaire (sMEQ) and the single‐item self‐assessed morningness‐eveningness question.PCOS was not associated with the EC by the sMEQ (p = 0.495) or self‐assessment (p = 0.303). The self‐assessed morningness‐eveningness values differed from the sMEQ chronotype distribution (p < 0.001), nevertheless, the most frequent chronotype was the intermediate chronotype (IC) determined by both chronotyping methods (sMEQ PCOS 47.7% vs. 45.2% non‐PCOS; self‐assessment PCOS 66.5% vs. 68.4% non‐PCOS). The hyperandrogenic PCOS phenotypes A–C did not differ from the non‐hyperandrogenic phenotype D as for the chronotype (p = 0.271). The EC was associated in both groups with depressive and anxiety symptoms (PCOS p = 0.012, non‐PCOS p < 0.001) and the use of sleep medication (PCOS p = 0.017, non‐PCOS p < 0.001).The EC was not over‐represented in middle‐aged women with PCOS or in the hyperandrogenic PCOS phenotypes A–C in our study. This does not support the need for chronotyping in the comprehensive assessment of women with PCOS. However, as chronotypes tend to change with aging, cross‐sectional studies in different age groups are warranted to draw conclusions on the role of chronotypes in PCOS and the associated metabolic risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Women's Health Study (WENDY) was conducted to improve insights into women's health and health burden. It provides a unique, comprehensive data source that can be broadly utilised to understand gynaecological symptoms, diseases, and their relation to metabolic and overall health more deeply in a population-based setting. The study was conducted in Finland from May 2020 to October 2022. It included 1,918 women (33-37 years old) who were born in Northern Finland between July 1985 and December 1987. Data collection comprised one three-to-four-hour study visit that included clinical measurements, biological samples, ultrasound examinations and an extensive questionnaire on gynaecological and reproductive history, physical and mental health, quality of life, lifestyles, current life situations, health awareness and opinions. The study also included a menstrual cycle follow-up and cognitive testing up to three months via a mobile application. Given that all participants' data can be linked to all Finnish national registers, and the NFBC participants' data can be linked to the birth cohort data set collected from gestational week 24 onwards, WENDY study forms one of the largest datasets worldwide to investigate gynecological and metabolic health burden in women., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.)