Polycystic ovary syndrome: Scientists closer to understanding cause

A common cause of female infertility - polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) - may be due to a hormonal imbalance before birth, researchers have found.

Researchers have been able to cure it in mice, and a clinical trial in human women is due to begin later this year, the New Scientist reports.

PCOS affects up to one in five women worldwide, it says.

It affects how a woman's ovaries work - symptoms include irregular periods and difficulty getting pregnant.

"It's by far the most common hormonal condition affecting women of reproductive age, but it hasn't received a lot of attention," Robert Norman at the University of Adelaide in Australia told the New Scientist.

source:www.bbc.com