Current Developments in the Molecular Genetics of the Polycystic Ovary

1986, Franks1995). The aetiology of PCOS remainsunknown, but a family history ofPCOS is common, suggesting a signifi-cant genetic component. Because ofthe heterogeneous nature of the clini-cal and biochemical features, it hasbeen suggested that PCOS representsmore than one disorder (Simpson1992); however, clinical and/or bio-chemical hyperandrogenism is a con-sistent feature in women with ‘polycys-tic ovaries’, irrespective of the mode ofpresentation (Franks 1991). Recentdata from both clinical investigationsand studies of isolated human thecacells implicate a primary ovarian ab-normality (Gilling-Smith