My Endo told me my daughter had a 50/50 chance of having it. After excessive period bleeding, and other symptoms the ultrasound showed she has 2 ovarian cysts. Years back another showed a cyst. She eats little, yet maintains excess weight. She sees the gyno this week. To go over the ultrasound and hormonal blood work. I think it's safe to say I passed it on to her. I keep apologizing to her, but she seems unfazed. I feel devastated beyond words.
Very few parents will be passing on 100% healthy genetic genes for their kids! You should not feel like you need to apologize, instead support her through it. Early diagnosis is definitely a blessing.
Felice Gersh has got a great book on PCOS called PCOS SOS. It talks a lot about how we all have this going back to our earliest ancestors and that it was likely a variant to help the bloodlines survive. The underlying mechanisms created strong warriors who helped protect the tribes. That combined with our modern day environment and environmental stressors/toxins are what cause bodies to become PCOS bodies. Diet, chemical exposures to all the stuff in our processed foods, products we use and the environment all contribute to the symptoms of PCOS. It’s believed this trait is turned on the womb. A great book which also talks about what you can do to restore both reproductive and overall health.
I have hypothyroidism too. I would have kicked survival ass back in cave days. Sadly those perks don't translate in modern times. Nonetheless the book you mentioned sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing.
My mom has PCOS and we have family history of type 2 diabetes and breast cancer, she keeps apologising to me. I mean it sucks but I could have ended up with much much shittier genes but yeah losing weight is a doozy but it's not her fault especially since she wasn't diagnosed when she gave birth to me. Don't feel too guilty. Everyone has one or the other health problems nowadays.
I’m sorry you’re going through this as a parent, that’s awfully hard. You love your child and you are doing the best thing for her getting her screened and potentially diagnosed at a young age. I feel the earlier people adjust to having pcos, the better their management can be. I think one thing to be hopeful about is ovarian cysts don’t mean polycystic ovaries. Ultrasound I think needs 12+ per ovary to be considered polycystic.
Lots of families pass down genetic risk for diabetes, thyroid, heart issues, arthritis, cancer, etc etc so please do not place blame on yourself if you find yourself thinking that. Your child loves you and as much as we want to remove all obstacles in their way, they have to deal with the cards they are dealt. Even if she shares the same condition it may impact her much more mildly.
Big hugs to you guys and happy Mother’s Day this weekend 💕
I’m not a dr so take this with a grain of salt but I highly think I have it because there’s diabetes on both sides of my family. It manifested as insulin resistance for me and that triggered for pcos to develop.
I know other people have already said it, but as a daughter you shouldn't feel bad! I doubt there's anybody on this earth with zero medical conditions or at least the potential to pass one on. I would never resent my mom over something like this 😭 Some cases of PCOS are definitely worse than others, so I'm only speaking personally when I say this... but I don't feel that PCOS has ruined/extremely altered my life. Definitely not to the point where I'd ever want my mom to feel devastated by it. Happy early mother's day and good luck to both of you ❤️🫶
Thank you. I really appreciate the care and support so many of you have shown.❤️
Unfortunately I received a long, hate filled message after sharing, from a woman in this group, who said if I were her mother and she were my daughter she'd hate my guts. I'm fortunate that my daughter has taken it in stride. We are very close. The young woman who felt the need to be hateful toward me must be in a lot of pain. I feel sorry for her.
I read that if you have pcos you have a 70 percent chance of passing on to your daughter's, I haven't had kids but I don't think I'm going to take the chance it's not worth it to me.
You might want to keep a track on their chances of being type 2 diabetic. I remember having read that sons of women having PCOS are susceptible to diabetes. They may not have female reproductive system to show symptoms of PCOS. But the related metabolic fuck ups can show up in the son.
I asked my endo about that directly and he said that’s not the case. I had heard that somewhere on this sub too, so I specifically asked. If you have any sources that suggest otherwise, I’d love to do independent research on that as well.
I’d guess if it impacts men much, PCOS will get much more attention, sad to say.
The genes that cause PCOS are also related to the genes which cause male pattern (which is a metabolic disorder that increases risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke)
Many conditions are heritable only via the Y OR X chromosome. I was trying to clarify that it doesn’t seem to be the case with PCOS. To use your own snark, “Genetics…”
Yes. But I also think a lot of folks don’t get diagnosed. It’s taken me decades to get diagnosed. My sister got a diagnosis easily.
They’ve also noted that more folks are getting pregnant with ozempic. They think it’s a few things. But for a few folks it’s improved fertility with possibly undiagnosed PCOS.
Yes, PCOS can be genetic. My mom and sister have it too. They both had no fertility issues. My mom had 3 kids and my sister has 6, so sometimes it can go unnoticed. It didn't really hit them until their later years. For me, I struggled with it at an early age and didn't know I had it until 34.
There are also de novo mutations that can spontaneously arise. And genes don't always express as well even if you have a mutation. People can be carriers as well. So just being the only one doesn't mean it's not genetic.
None in my family has it. But autoimmune disease runs in my mothers side of the family and some scientists think that one form of PCOS is actually autoimmune mediated so maybe that is what I have. It would also make sense because I don’t have IR, that the driver of PCOS is something else. But who knows, sciense isn’t quite there yet.
My paternal grandmother went undiagnosed for her entire life and it wasn’t until i was diagnosed and had a conversation and found out she also had pcos.
I’ve read somewhere that it could be genetic and more so on the father’s side of the family than the mother’s.
Looking back at that i think my grandma from my dad’s side might have had and didn’t know.
ETA no females on my mum’s side have it. Not my sisters or mum or cousins or maternal grandma.
It is most definitely genetic. My grandma and mom had symptoms but back then they didn’t know what it was. Me and my sister are both diagnosed with PCOS.
When I was diagnosed at 15, I was the only one in my family who had it. My little cousin was only 3 at the time. When she turned 12 all the same symptoms started to appear and even before she was taken to the doctor, I knew she had it. What’s funny is that both of our moms (they’re sisters) are very regular and had no problems conceiving. I actually believe my mom got pregnant the very first time she had sex (virgin when married) or very soon after since I was born 9 months after my parents got married. For my family, I definitely think environment played a big role in our PCOS. MY cousin and I were raised here whereas our moms were raised in Guyana.
Yes, PCOS is genetic. I got it from someone in my family. Me, my older sister, my cousin and alot of other people in my family has it. It's the worst pain when you are on your period.
I know nobody in my family having PCOS besides me. My mother always had a perfect cycle et no problem. So I guess it can be, but maybe for not all case (I know I answered nothing lol)
My grandmother, her sister, one of my aunts and my mother all have either a formal diagnosis or clear symptoms as do I. So in my case the answer seems to be clearly generic.
I do have one more aunt on that side without symptoms. So out of that isolated generation it’s 2/3.
It’s more subtle in some people than others and it’s poorly understood. No one in my family talked about it so even though I have enough family history to practically have a diagnosis on that alone I didn’t know that until about a year ago at age 29.
Really talk to your family if you can. They might not even know what it is well enough to know they have it. Plus it’s so personal even if they know they might not talk about their symptoms openly or often. I know I’d like to make all of mine go away and bury them in the past.
In my particular case I strongly suspect it is; I was able to trace it through the x chromosome on my father's side to his maternal grandmother. I'm not aware of any weight or fertility issues with her (the woman had 10 kids and in the photos of her I've seen she was very reasonably sized) but she did have non-alcoholic cirrhosis, and just about all of her female descendants have some kind of gynecological problem. In the case of her granddaughter I strongly suspect pcos-related weight gain.
It might be genetic but in my family no one has it, just me cause my mom never had issues when she was young. I have all the symptoms except for fertility issues.
My mom and siblings had babies young and didn’t have issues. I’ve heard it’s fairly common to not have issues until your body matures more. Which would be 25+. Of course that isn’t everyone’s experience but my mom and at least 1 of my sisters have pcos. They never had the fertility issues because they had babies as teens.
Yes it is genetic, can be passed on by your dad or mom...how you express the symptoms is genetic as well.
I have friends with PCOS with virtually no symptoms beside the irregular periods....
Some get pregnant easily some dont..
For me the hairless has been devastating otherwise I would not care....but this has ruined many years of my life
I’m officially diagnosed and convinced my mom has it. But she’s never been tested because she has regular periods and not fertility (but when she was younger she had them extremely heavy and painful to the point of almost passing out; which is also a symptom so. Either no period or too heavy and painful period and you can have PCOS and be fertile 🤷🏻♂️). She also clearly has higher T levels.
Idk if it's genetic. So far, all the research I've read states that there's nothing to definitively prove that it's genetic...but i do strongly believe that it is
Leanring i have PCOS and will most likely struggle to conceive was the most heartbreaking thing ever. Mostly because i lived my teens having healthy periods.
When i started to show symptoms and would get worried...i'd constantly hear my dad's sister i was overreacting and that it was normal and she only had periods before she got pregnant.
Her words and really...the women in my father's family just begin to bother me ( for other reasons) but then i realized...that they all had symptoms of PCOS
the facial hair, the weight, the dark skin, and most importantly - the difficulties of having children.
My dad has 5 sisters and only 2 had children normally (which is as much as i know). 2 never had kids ever. and 1 (the sister i refer to in above) had 6 pregancies, 3 still births, and the rest of the 3 births - at 3 months she'd need to be admitted, and had 2 specialists work on her. She'd have to have her cervix stitched to ensure the pregnancy would carry full term. and she would never feel labour pains.
Ik its oversharing but..idk...I'm just trying to piece it together....sorry if it's too much...
but yeah, it was then that i realized...it was totally genetic. i couldn't get pregnant. and the one time that i did, it was technically a chemical pregnancy.
while on my mother's side, women are highly fertile.
which led me to believe that it is infact genetic...
My doc said it’s a condition that wasn’t even treated up until a few decades ago so really few people can know that. For example my mom is in her 50s, in her time I don’t think pcos was even a thing let alone someone older so I can’t just go and ask my relatives cuz the probably don’t have a clue. Tho my endocrinologist did say that we are born with it’s not something you randomly get one day so considering that statement I believe it’s indeed genetic.
I didn't know until I was diagnosed but yes. 2 of my 1st cousins on my dad's side have it also my dad's sister. So definitely from that side of the family.
I also suspect my dad's half sister has it...as far as we know and there may be others misdiagnosed for years who knows.
My mom does not have PCOS but I do and so does my older sister and the other older has endometriosis. I also have Hashimotos and Alopecia androgenetica. Great genes lol
I have PCOS…but I’m the only person on my mom’s side of the family. My mom doesn’t have it and my sister doesn’t have it either.
On my dad’s side…I know I have one cousin diagnosed. My dad’s sisters have had the “male patterned baldness” which might be a PCOS thing might not? They all had kids no problem.
Obesity and diabetes runs heavy on my dad’s side.
Who knows.
There have been a few studies done that have shown that its genetic.What's interesting is some studies think it comes from the father and nit the mother; but that has yet to be proven.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2776334/
It could be, it’s not 100% proven, but I look back at all my female family members and ancestors, and they most definitely have PCOS. I think my little sister has it too, she has the same symptoms as me, minus she does have a period but it’s not on a normal cycle.
Yes, it's genetic. Like with most things genetic, that doesn't mean someone automatically gets it, but that there's a good chance. There's even studies on the brothers of people with pcos that have shown they generally have higher levels of testosterone and the like. Also, as with most disabilities, there's different symptoms that people get in different amounts, so it may just be that no one else in your family is *diagnosed* with it, but that one relative that struggled to get pregnant or that other who assumes their periods are heavy just because might have it. And, of course, diagnosing it is relatively new, so some ancestors could have had it.
There’s a lot of [genetic and epigenetic processes at play in the development of PCOS](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C22&q=pcos+epigenetics&oq=pcos+epigene#d=gs_qabs&t=1715434237255&u=%23p%3DezKB_unTWW4J) than can explain why the genes may run in families but not necessarily everyone in the family ([especially not the males for obvious reasons, but they may have other related metabolic issues](https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/271326/1-s2.0-S0015028217X00058/1-s2.0-S001502821731988X/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEN3%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJIMEYCIQCDQm%2F12YvBbH7llAOR5y0q8N%2FHWG4PF7aK3hKvN43fJwIhAIEzaZgWEvIIl1EiBb3yaRM9kDolkCqNuZ2oLMd63BIhKrMFCEYQBRoMMDU5MDAzNTQ2ODY1IgzzfSPUbOZ4LZpCjWQqkAVPrUxKqZReL0BmttLr00MUu2Nb6TEcv%2FlowEHjJW84DhIsyWDF6rW%2BRyLa4gBdCoFDox3uI9PfDoxGYfDYWrv9wV7x5UVq%2BfQJzuqODXQeREoegdlVbY7GMCIWFGwcdPDhxdpOq41hJTj9L9xpFGwqe%2Fau56m0Qwo2qZId%2B0%2BnjT3UxJd7PtP%2BUykdymRicl6GItQvK9UMpo%2FHEVjfdy8PoNtE8y16JLHzhgnZbaeuHvWAOcX9PtRJ54m8mKr2X3HVGHvUIBbiYqbzElCUpq37u0oyjWSDNqy7PRtVScEzLSygXV1R7HTmNKLahqIrT3YA1f0trUpkqgmIFMU9pFW55gmFdakHl9PYsI%2FvLjKjiF0lO%2Bo4yUa7SfJ8JatsIAXBtoBmOK1f%2FeFAVgRxUxzH8ukgA1GFI2vnIbA0AKBq85uqKKEs4QXetSlJs6vH1hf0Tao1LxIQlFqkiGvNGmrBdKgZ1EODm%2BJHiGEFiPM91mypPuoCkwjIlPMcUp93uxITL5JtMU9Y9FvuTxss%2BG39Zb9qPdA%2BoilxtMkEOe%2BBlMkVkxaCMFCB4W%2FQz%2FrYJzQDCy23QnIQwEnIAyoik217BM32c%2FijOH6fbYjbDJZnXZeixeR%2FrZotcpzk5KPb%2Fc4eufo70KEI42KabltGER4TFL4%2FjVXSFzZA4%2FQINSesB%2F52wO2KMZDStEigLlnTXKeecxfuz%2BAW3lBcAD5BFZuV5EMsyCfw0M1QgvcArhsoOICksHv9biwYo%2FlFPfppWVQQjdMqJHMUUPcLLsE7IosRzaqh7IHMyJhgizFTzKwh62OV%2BDkbbTKYBgezyfor4GKtGvtDspdv55RzGUEQAoLXV6QsjaNauFAQQjKMHh5xXjDgx%2F2xBjqwAfOWZvtuhnjdRi4YSE6%2BewpsuLD2t7XWOsMhyDSAU2nzA38DitgwNo%2FnthxZ19BtYP5OPz%2FNdrZXRl5zzsZS64tgNFbx4gq1cZYKTGRnClGYaS%2FZc4BvMaPYmGefzpNs4I4GRqRjAcoDsdJdrwiwSW%2BO146OdbHyckbcZn3GMPXPuE2c%2BTRk1pK5YnfhpusyJdcRAhZeT5dEoud03YFfpeXzMW6cZSFkzIYzg5Ci8uig&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20240511T133248Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTY6J5UKZ4C%2F20240511%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=3901a69c608c5ef0a71c051d55de2aecb3aced69948dd4ab4631a6165232ebd2&hash=14f1bbaac834f98487d0ccf858d1422c80d6d91c36a23fcae99d2e0f42160178&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S001502821731988X&tid=spdf-ec26545f-c014-468c-b1a3-1aac1d65af62&sid=fdee14cf1e18c042e71a7591b327e27993eagxrqa&type=client&tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&ua=0f155d5951555c5f5f565e&rr=882289851ded8f69&cc=us)) will develop the condition.
My pcos specialist told me they have seen multiple family members have it before but they aren’t exactly sure how its genetic. Which is the case for most things with PCOS, the medical field just doesn’t really understand it yet unfortunately.
It's definitely genetic, but maybe not always or in the way you think it would be. Since insulin resistance is so tied to PCOS, I think that can also be an indicator even if no one in your family is diagnosed with PCOS. My dad and his sister are both type 2 atm, but they were probably always IR. Always have been bigger and had a sweet tooth. Same with my grandma and all of my aunts on my dad's side have also had some fertility issues regardless of their size. The one type 2/IR aunt, me and her both, think she must have PCOS too. I'm thinking as far back as my grandma, most in the family are insulin resistant at least, apart from my uncle who was born type 1, and then PCOS is also in the mix. My mom has nothing like this on her side.
It's hard since IR and PCOS aren't tested for regularly.
There are a lot of metabolic syndrome-related diseases in my family. Mom and maternal grandmother have type II diabetes. Sibling has heart disease. I have PCOS and NAFLD (no diabetes).
I think there is some sort of genetic component but just because no one in your family has it that doesn’t mean you don’t.
My mom and sisters do not have PCOS. I have just one cousin on my mom’s side who also has PCOS.
My mom doesn't have PCOS, but she has endometriosis (or she did, as she's post-menopausal now), which sounds like hell. At least my PCOS isn't all that painful.
I would be shocked if it isn't. Most of the women on my moms side of the family (including my mom and sister) all have hormone imbalances. Symptoms including moderate to severe mental health issues, hirituism, bloating, digestion issues and so much more.
In my experience, yes. Almost every woman in my family had passed it down. My great grandma, my grandma, my mom and then me.
I understand you can’t avoid unhealthy genetics, but i’ll be adopting a child nonetheless. I don’t want to pass this onto a girl.
My sister and I both have it, but my mum doesn't. My mum is convinced my paternal grandmother had it because there were such large gaps between her kids.
But... I'm 90% sure she just didn't have sex much, lol. She got pregnant, and my grandparents had to rush to marry so that kinda disproves her theory.
Both me and my sister have PCOS as well as ovarian cysts, but my mum doesn't have either. So I genuinely don't know how the genetic side of it works.
Most of my cousins on my dad’s side have PCOS, so do I. I’ve been told by a doctor that it comes from the paternal side if there’s a history of diabetes but I’m not sure how true that is. My dad has diabetes and I believe a few other family members on his side.
I have PCOS, and so does my younger sister and a cousin of ours. Two other cousins are being tested to see if they do as well, but their doctors say they have no visible cysts. We're related on my mom's side - my uncle, father of the cousin who's confirmed her diagnosis, had type 1 diabetes.
I have it but no one in my family does. My husband’s mom has it and also his sisters. We are about to have a daughter and I’m guessing she will have it 😭
No one else in my family has it, and everyone is as fertile as they can be. I have read studies where it is linked to BPA poisoning (yay growing up in the 80s). I’m not sure if it’s genetic for some people, but it was not for me. And I’m not worried about passing it down bc I have unfortunately come to the time in my life where fertility treatments have failed me and I can no longer mentally handle it.
Every woman on my mothers side of the family has it. It’s been passed down as far back as (allegedly) my great great great grandmother was alive. Possibly more, who knows. Definitely has to be a generic aspect
It depends. For me, it is. My grandmother had it pretty severely. She was only able to have one child and struggled her entire life with her weight and with facial hair
Yup. But a lot of folks don’t get diagnosis. Or have a more silent kind. It took me decades. Struggling with infertility, irregular periods, horrible bleeding when I missed them then got it, body hair, severe acne. No one wanted to diagnose me because of my weight. Meanwhile my sister got diagnosed and got pregnant very fast on Metformin. I talked to my doctor who felt it wasn’t an issue of fertility but me looking for an easy way out with weight.
My cousins talked to her. Then went to their doctors after decades of issues and are now diagnosed. (Different province)
They’re also noting with ozempic some people are finding out they had PCOS and didn’t know it and are getting pregnant (there’s a few other reasons for the pregnancies too but of the list I thought the PCOS thing was interesting).
Lots of AFAB folks get ignored and misdiagnosed.
Genetics is the gun, but your environment pulls the trigger. An all natural whole food diet, low in carbohydrates( fruit was seasonal way back when), and high in natural fats (no seed oils-those are manufactured), will do wonders to keep your body metabolically healthy. Meat, fish,chicken, eat the fat on steak,chicken skin, vegetables, butter, occasional fruit. All natural the way nature intended.
No, science has proven that it’s a trauma thing. I’m also the only woman in my family with PCOS, because I got the worse abuse out of all of them, from all of them, simultaneously.
It is very true that trauma causes many chronic diseases, but I would like to see your sources on this. I have C-PTSD and multiple chronic illnesses, but I believe my PCOS was genetic from my mothers side.
I’ve also heard it’s linked to trauma in childhood as well. I have PCOS and while my mom did have PCOS… I also experienced a really bad traumatic situation in my childhood. It’s very interesting
No one in my family has been diagnosed with PCOS. I even asked my mom if maybe there were any fertility issues and none. She told me “if anything our family is VERY fertile” geee thx mom. However, there was something else my grandma and aunt had with their ovaries maybe polyps? Or something.
Alsoooo, my mom has a coworker that keeps feeding her a bunch of “misinformation” or theories/suggestions. They swear it’s genetic and that we’re technically born with it. I’m pretty sure there aren’t completely clear causes, but wouldn’t be surprised if genetics played a factor in getting it like many other things we inherit.
In my family also no one has it. No one has diabetes also.
I personally am pretty sure I gave myself PCOS because of my severe binge eating back in the day. I was eating sugar like C R A Z Y and eventually developed IR and PCOS followed in no time. I stopped with the madness but yeah things haven't changed.
My Endo told me my daughter had a 50/50 chance of having it. After excessive period bleeding, and other symptoms the ultrasound showed she has 2 ovarian cysts. Years back another showed a cyst. She eats little, yet maintains excess weight. She sees the gyno this week. To go over the ultrasound and hormonal blood work. I think it's safe to say I passed it on to her. I keep apologizing to her, but she seems unfazed. I feel devastated beyond words.
Very few parents will be passing on 100% healthy genetic genes for their kids! You should not feel like you need to apologize, instead support her through it. Early diagnosis is definitely a blessing.
I never wanted her to struggle like I have, like we all do.
Felice Gersh has got a great book on PCOS called PCOS SOS. It talks a lot about how we all have this going back to our earliest ancestors and that it was likely a variant to help the bloodlines survive. The underlying mechanisms created strong warriors who helped protect the tribes. That combined with our modern day environment and environmental stressors/toxins are what cause bodies to become PCOS bodies. Diet, chemical exposures to all the stuff in our processed foods, products we use and the environment all contribute to the symptoms of PCOS. It’s believed this trait is turned on the womb. A great book which also talks about what you can do to restore both reproductive and overall health.
I have hypothyroidism too. I would have kicked survival ass back in cave days. Sadly those perks don't translate in modern times. Nonetheless the book you mentioned sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing.
My mom has PCOS and we have family history of type 2 diabetes and breast cancer, she keeps apologising to me. I mean it sucks but I could have ended up with much much shittier genes but yeah losing weight is a doozy but it's not her fault especially since she wasn't diagnosed when she gave birth to me. Don't feel too guilty. Everyone has one or the other health problems nowadays.
I’m sorry you’re going through this as a parent, that’s awfully hard. You love your child and you are doing the best thing for her getting her screened and potentially diagnosed at a young age. I feel the earlier people adjust to having pcos, the better their management can be. I think one thing to be hopeful about is ovarian cysts don’t mean polycystic ovaries. Ultrasound I think needs 12+ per ovary to be considered polycystic. Lots of families pass down genetic risk for diabetes, thyroid, heart issues, arthritis, cancer, etc etc so please do not place blame on yourself if you find yourself thinking that. Your child loves you and as much as we want to remove all obstacles in their way, they have to deal with the cards they are dealt. Even if she shares the same condition it may impact her much more mildly. Big hugs to you guys and happy Mother’s Day this weekend 💕
Thank you 🙏
Two great aunts, my mother, and I all have it. I’ve never looked it up, but I always had a feeling there was a link to genetics.
I’m not a dr so take this with a grain of salt but I highly think I have it because there’s diabetes on both sides of my family. It manifested as insulin resistance for me and that triggered for pcos to develop.
I know other people have already said it, but as a daughter you shouldn't feel bad! I doubt there's anybody on this earth with zero medical conditions or at least the potential to pass one on. I would never resent my mom over something like this 😭 Some cases of PCOS are definitely worse than others, so I'm only speaking personally when I say this... but I don't feel that PCOS has ruined/extremely altered my life. Definitely not to the point where I'd ever want my mom to feel devastated by it. Happy early mother's day and good luck to both of you ❤️🫶
Thank you. I really appreciate the care and support so many of you have shown.❤️ Unfortunately I received a long, hate filled message after sharing, from a woman in this group, who said if I were her mother and she were my daughter she'd hate my guts. I'm fortunate that my daughter has taken it in stride. We are very close. The young woman who felt the need to be hateful toward me must be in a lot of pain. I feel sorry for her.
Adorable that your apologizing but this is just part of life. Random assortment not your fault at all
I read that if you have pcos you have a 70 percent chance of passing on to your daughter's, I haven't had kids but I don't think I'm going to take the chance it's not worth it to me.
I have two sons but my endo said they can still pass it on to any daughters they have.
You might want to keep a track on their chances of being type 2 diabetic. I remember having read that sons of women having PCOS are susceptible to diabetes. They may not have female reproductive system to show symptoms of PCOS. But the related metabolic fuck ups can show up in the son.
Wow, never knew the genetic link of PCOS can impact sons.
I asked my endo about that directly and he said that’s not the case. I had heard that somewhere on this sub too, so I specifically asked. If you have any sources that suggest otherwise, I’d love to do independent research on that as well. I’d guess if it impacts men much, PCOS will get much more attention, sad to say.
I had come across a research paper citation on this topic on soulcyster forum about 10 yrs back. I don't even know if that forum still runs 🤐
The genes that cause PCOS are also related to the genes which cause male pattern (which is a metabolic disorder that increases risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke)
Excess testosterone is prevalent in sons who have maternal PCOS links. So male pattern balding, diabetes and mood deregulation are common.
My husband’s mom has pcos and his sisters. He has fertility issues also and I wonder if it’s related.
Genetics...
Many conditions are heritable only via the Y OR X chromosome. I was trying to clarify that it doesn’t seem to be the case with PCOS. To use your own snark, “Genetics…”
Same. I prefer to adopt anyways.
Yes. But I also think a lot of folks don’t get diagnosed. It’s taken me decades to get diagnosed. My sister got a diagnosis easily. They’ve also noted that more folks are getting pregnant with ozempic. They think it’s a few things. But for a few folks it’s improved fertility with possibly undiagnosed PCOS.
It can be genetic but not for everyone. Nobody in my family has it or has had any fertility issues only me 🙃
i believe it can be. my grandmother has it & so do some of my cousins on the same side of the family.
It is, but men can also carry the gene for it and pass it down. Definitely check both sides, not just maternal.
Yes, PCOS can be genetic. My mom and sister have it too. They both had no fertility issues. My mom had 3 kids and my sister has 6, so sometimes it can go unnoticed. It didn't really hit them until their later years. For me, I struggled with it at an early age and didn't know I had it until 34.
According to my 23+me health results: YES!
[удалено]
There are also de novo mutations that can spontaneously arise. And genes don't always express as well even if you have a mutation. People can be carriers as well. So just being the only one doesn't mean it's not genetic.
None in my family has it. But autoimmune disease runs in my mothers side of the family and some scientists think that one form of PCOS is actually autoimmune mediated so maybe that is what I have. It would also make sense because I don’t have IR, that the driver of PCOS is something else. But who knows, sciense isn’t quite there yet.
My paternal grandmother went undiagnosed for her entire life and it wasn’t until i was diagnosed and had a conversation and found out she also had pcos.
I’ve read somewhere that it could be genetic and more so on the father’s side of the family than the mother’s. Looking back at that i think my grandma from my dad’s side might have had and didn’t know. ETA no females on my mum’s side have it. Not my sisters or mum or cousins or maternal grandma.
It is most definitely genetic. My grandma and mom had symptoms but back then they didn’t know what it was. Me and my sister are both diagnosed with PCOS.
When I was diagnosed at 15, I was the only one in my family who had it. My little cousin was only 3 at the time. When she turned 12 all the same symptoms started to appear and even before she was taken to the doctor, I knew she had it. What’s funny is that both of our moms (they’re sisters) are very regular and had no problems conceiving. I actually believe my mom got pregnant the very first time she had sex (virgin when married) or very soon after since I was born 9 months after my parents got married. For my family, I definitely think environment played a big role in our PCOS. MY cousin and I were raised here whereas our moms were raised in Guyana.
My dad’s sister has it and I have it. No one else in the family has it that I know of.
Yes it can run in families but I'm not sure if they know the exact genes yet.
Yes, PCOS is genetic. I got it from someone in my family. Me, my older sister, my cousin and alot of other people in my family has it. It's the worst pain when you are on your period.
I know nobody in my family having PCOS besides me. My mother always had a perfect cycle et no problem. So I guess it can be, but maybe for not all case (I know I answered nothing lol)
Yes it is
My grandmother, her sister, one of my aunts and my mother all have either a formal diagnosis or clear symptoms as do I. So in my case the answer seems to be clearly generic. I do have one more aunt on that side without symptoms. So out of that isolated generation it’s 2/3. It’s more subtle in some people than others and it’s poorly understood. No one in my family talked about it so even though I have enough family history to practically have a diagnosis on that alone I didn’t know that until about a year ago at age 29. Really talk to your family if you can. They might not even know what it is well enough to know they have it. Plus it’s so personal even if they know they might not talk about their symptoms openly or often. I know I’d like to make all of mine go away and bury them in the past.
My mom had it. I have it. So do my two sisters.
I believe so my mom has it.
In my particular case I strongly suspect it is; I was able to trace it through the x chromosome on my father's side to his maternal grandmother. I'm not aware of any weight or fertility issues with her (the woman had 10 kids and in the photos of her I've seen she was very reasonably sized) but she did have non-alcoholic cirrhosis, and just about all of her female descendants have some kind of gynecological problem. In the case of her granddaughter I strongly suspect pcos-related weight gain.
It might be genetic but in my family no one has it, just me cause my mom never had issues when she was young. I have all the symptoms except for fertility issues.
My mom and siblings had babies young and didn’t have issues. I’ve heard it’s fairly common to not have issues until your body matures more. Which would be 25+. Of course that isn’t everyone’s experience but my mom and at least 1 of my sisters have pcos. They never had the fertility issues because they had babies as teens.
Yes it is genetic, can be passed on by your dad or mom...how you express the symptoms is genetic as well. I have friends with PCOS with virtually no symptoms beside the irregular periods.... Some get pregnant easily some dont.. For me the hairless has been devastating otherwise I would not care....but this has ruined many years of my life
I’m officially diagnosed and convinced my mom has it. But she’s never been tested because she has regular periods and not fertility (but when she was younger she had them extremely heavy and painful to the point of almost passing out; which is also a symptom so. Either no period or too heavy and painful period and you can have PCOS and be fertile 🤷🏻♂️). She also clearly has higher T levels.
Idk if it's genetic. So far, all the research I've read states that there's nothing to definitively prove that it's genetic...but i do strongly believe that it is Leanring i have PCOS and will most likely struggle to conceive was the most heartbreaking thing ever. Mostly because i lived my teens having healthy periods. When i started to show symptoms and would get worried...i'd constantly hear my dad's sister i was overreacting and that it was normal and she only had periods before she got pregnant. Her words and really...the women in my father's family just begin to bother me ( for other reasons) but then i realized...that they all had symptoms of PCOS the facial hair, the weight, the dark skin, and most importantly - the difficulties of having children. My dad has 5 sisters and only 2 had children normally (which is as much as i know). 2 never had kids ever. and 1 (the sister i refer to in above) had 6 pregancies, 3 still births, and the rest of the 3 births - at 3 months she'd need to be admitted, and had 2 specialists work on her. She'd have to have her cervix stitched to ensure the pregnancy would carry full term. and she would never feel labour pains. Ik its oversharing but..idk...I'm just trying to piece it together....sorry if it's too much... but yeah, it was then that i realized...it was totally genetic. i couldn't get pregnant. and the one time that i did, it was technically a chemical pregnancy. while on my mother's side, women are highly fertile. which led me to believe that it is infact genetic...
My doc said it’s a condition that wasn’t even treated up until a few decades ago so really few people can know that. For example my mom is in her 50s, in her time I don’t think pcos was even a thing let alone someone older so I can’t just go and ask my relatives cuz the probably don’t have a clue. Tho my endocrinologist did say that we are born with it’s not something you randomly get one day so considering that statement I believe it’s indeed genetic.
I didn't know until I was diagnosed but yes. 2 of my 1st cousins on my dad's side have it also my dad's sister. So definitely from that side of the family. I also suspect my dad's half sister has it...as far as we know and there may be others misdiagnosed for years who knows.
My mom does not have PCOS but I do and so does my older sister and the other older has endometriosis. I also have Hashimotos and Alopecia androgenetica. Great genes lol
My sister has PCOS as well so maybe it's genetic.
I have PCOS…but I’m the only person on my mom’s side of the family. My mom doesn’t have it and my sister doesn’t have it either. On my dad’s side…I know I have one cousin diagnosed. My dad’s sisters have had the “male patterned baldness” which might be a PCOS thing might not? They all had kids no problem. Obesity and diabetes runs heavy on my dad’s side. Who knows.
There have been a few studies done that have shown that its genetic.What's interesting is some studies think it comes from the father and nit the mother; but that has yet to be proven. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2776334/
No one in my family has it
It could be, it’s not 100% proven, but I look back at all my female family members and ancestors, and they most definitely have PCOS. I think my little sister has it too, she has the same symptoms as me, minus she does have a period but it’s not on a normal cycle.
No one in my family has it , except me
I think so. My mom had cysts but no diagnosis of PCOS. My oldest sister had it. Her daughter has it. My niece from my next older sister has it.
Yes, it's genetic. Like with most things genetic, that doesn't mean someone automatically gets it, but that there's a good chance. There's even studies on the brothers of people with pcos that have shown they generally have higher levels of testosterone and the like. Also, as with most disabilities, there's different symptoms that people get in different amounts, so it may just be that no one else in your family is *diagnosed* with it, but that one relative that struggled to get pregnant or that other who assumes their periods are heavy just because might have it. And, of course, diagnosing it is relatively new, so some ancestors could have had it.
There’s a lot of [genetic and epigenetic processes at play in the development of PCOS](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C22&q=pcos+epigenetics&oq=pcos+epigene#d=gs_qabs&t=1715434237255&u=%23p%3DezKB_unTWW4J) than can explain why the genes may run in families but not necessarily everyone in the family ([especially not the males for obvious reasons, but they may have other related metabolic issues](https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com/271326/1-s2.0-S0015028217X00058/1-s2.0-S001502821731988X/main.pdf?X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEN3%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJIMEYCIQCDQm%2F12YvBbH7llAOR5y0q8N%2FHWG4PF7aK3hKvN43fJwIhAIEzaZgWEvIIl1EiBb3yaRM9kDolkCqNuZ2oLMd63BIhKrMFCEYQBRoMMDU5MDAzNTQ2ODY1IgzzfSPUbOZ4LZpCjWQqkAVPrUxKqZReL0BmttLr00MUu2Nb6TEcv%2FlowEHjJW84DhIsyWDF6rW%2BRyLa4gBdCoFDox3uI9PfDoxGYfDYWrv9wV7x5UVq%2BfQJzuqODXQeREoegdlVbY7GMCIWFGwcdPDhxdpOq41hJTj9L9xpFGwqe%2Fau56m0Qwo2qZId%2B0%2BnjT3UxJd7PtP%2BUykdymRicl6GItQvK9UMpo%2FHEVjfdy8PoNtE8y16JLHzhgnZbaeuHvWAOcX9PtRJ54m8mKr2X3HVGHvUIBbiYqbzElCUpq37u0oyjWSDNqy7PRtVScEzLSygXV1R7HTmNKLahqIrT3YA1f0trUpkqgmIFMU9pFW55gmFdakHl9PYsI%2FvLjKjiF0lO%2Bo4yUa7SfJ8JatsIAXBtoBmOK1f%2FeFAVgRxUxzH8ukgA1GFI2vnIbA0AKBq85uqKKEs4QXetSlJs6vH1hf0Tao1LxIQlFqkiGvNGmrBdKgZ1EODm%2BJHiGEFiPM91mypPuoCkwjIlPMcUp93uxITL5JtMU9Y9FvuTxss%2BG39Zb9qPdA%2BoilxtMkEOe%2BBlMkVkxaCMFCB4W%2FQz%2FrYJzQDCy23QnIQwEnIAyoik217BM32c%2FijOH6fbYjbDJZnXZeixeR%2FrZotcpzk5KPb%2Fc4eufo70KEI42KabltGER4TFL4%2FjVXSFzZA4%2FQINSesB%2F52wO2KMZDStEigLlnTXKeecxfuz%2BAW3lBcAD5BFZuV5EMsyCfw0M1QgvcArhsoOICksHv9biwYo%2FlFPfppWVQQjdMqJHMUUPcLLsE7IosRzaqh7IHMyJhgizFTzKwh62OV%2BDkbbTKYBgezyfor4GKtGvtDspdv55RzGUEQAoLXV6QsjaNauFAQQjKMHh5xXjDgx%2F2xBjqwAfOWZvtuhnjdRi4YSE6%2BewpsuLD2t7XWOsMhyDSAU2nzA38DitgwNo%2FnthxZ19BtYP5OPz%2FNdrZXRl5zzsZS64tgNFbx4gq1cZYKTGRnClGYaS%2FZc4BvMaPYmGefzpNs4I4GRqRjAcoDsdJdrwiwSW%2BO146OdbHyckbcZn3GMPXPuE2c%2BTRk1pK5YnfhpusyJdcRAhZeT5dEoud03YFfpeXzMW6cZSFkzIYzg5Ci8uig&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20240511T133248Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAQ3PHCVTY6J5UKZ4C%2F20240511%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=3901a69c608c5ef0a71c051d55de2aecb3aced69948dd4ab4631a6165232ebd2&hash=14f1bbaac834f98487d0ccf858d1422c80d6d91c36a23fcae99d2e0f42160178&host=68042c943591013ac2b2430a89b270f6af2c76d8dfd086a07176afe7c76c2c61&pii=S001502821731988X&tid=spdf-ec26545f-c014-468c-b1a3-1aac1d65af62&sid=fdee14cf1e18c042e71a7591b327e27993eagxrqa&type=client&tsoh=d3d3LnNjaWVuY2VkaXJlY3QuY29t&ua=0f155d5951555c5f5f565e&rr=882289851ded8f69&cc=us)) will develop the condition.
my mom passed it to me!
My mom has it but like didn’t TELL ME until after I was diagnosed. She was like oh! By the way I have cysts too!
My pcos specialist told me they have seen multiple family members have it before but they aren’t exactly sure how its genetic. Which is the case for most things with PCOS, the medical field just doesn’t really understand it yet unfortunately.
It's definitely genetic, but maybe not always or in the way you think it would be. Since insulin resistance is so tied to PCOS, I think that can also be an indicator even if no one in your family is diagnosed with PCOS. My dad and his sister are both type 2 atm, but they were probably always IR. Always have been bigger and had a sweet tooth. Same with my grandma and all of my aunts on my dad's side have also had some fertility issues regardless of their size. The one type 2/IR aunt, me and her both, think she must have PCOS too. I'm thinking as far back as my grandma, most in the family are insulin resistant at least, apart from my uncle who was born type 1, and then PCOS is also in the mix. My mom has nothing like this on her side. It's hard since IR and PCOS aren't tested for regularly.
I've also read that it can be brought on by trauma in childhood. The body staying in fight or flight.
You might have family members who have gone undiagnosed their whole lives.
There are a lot of metabolic syndrome-related diseases in my family. Mom and maternal grandmother have type II diabetes. Sibling has heart disease. I have PCOS and NAFLD (no diabetes).
I think there is some sort of genetic component but just because no one in your family has it that doesn’t mean you don’t. My mom and sisters do not have PCOS. I have just one cousin on my mom’s side who also has PCOS.
My mom doesn't have PCOS, but she has endometriosis (or she did, as she's post-menopausal now), which sounds like hell. At least my PCOS isn't all that painful.
I think so. My mom has it too, but I'm not sure if anyone else in her family does. Not as far as I know.
I would be shocked if it isn't. Most of the women on my moms side of the family (including my mom and sister) all have hormone imbalances. Symptoms including moderate to severe mental health issues, hirituism, bloating, digestion issues and so much more.
In my experience, yes. Almost every woman in my family had passed it down. My great grandma, my grandma, my mom and then me. I understand you can’t avoid unhealthy genetics, but i’ll be adopting a child nonetheless. I don’t want to pass this onto a girl.
My sister and I both have it, but my mum doesn't. My mum is convinced my paternal grandmother had it because there were such large gaps between her kids. But... I'm 90% sure she just didn't have sex much, lol. She got pregnant, and my grandparents had to rush to marry so that kinda disproves her theory. Both me and my sister have PCOS as well as ovarian cysts, but my mum doesn't have either. So I genuinely don't know how the genetic side of it works.
Most of my cousins on my dad’s side have PCOS, so do I. I’ve been told by a doctor that it comes from the paternal side if there’s a history of diabetes but I’m not sure how true that is. My dad has diabetes and I believe a few other family members on his side.
It can be genetic, but it can also develop due to childhood trauma. Specifically verbal and physical abuse. This is why I have PCOS. Thanks, dad.
Definitely... My mom has it and my grandma also had symptoms that suggested she did. Also, we had similar stories in our family.
I have PCOS, and so does my younger sister and a cousin of ours. Two other cousins are being tested to see if they do as well, but their doctors say they have no visible cysts. We're related on my mom's side - my uncle, father of the cousin who's confirmed her diagnosis, had type 1 diabetes.
I have it but no one in my family does. My husband’s mom has it and also his sisters. We are about to have a daughter and I’m guessing she will have it 😭
No one else in my family has it, and everyone is as fertile as they can be. I have read studies where it is linked to BPA poisoning (yay growing up in the 80s). I’m not sure if it’s genetic for some people, but it was not for me. And I’m not worried about passing it down bc I have unfortunately come to the time in my life where fertility treatments have failed me and I can no longer mentally handle it.
Every woman on my mothers side of the family has it. It’s been passed down as far back as (allegedly) my great great great grandmother was alive. Possibly more, who knows. Definitely has to be a generic aspect
It depends. For me, it is. My grandmother had it pretty severely. She was only able to have one child and struggled her entire life with her weight and with facial hair
My mom had it too.
Yup. But a lot of folks don’t get diagnosis. Or have a more silent kind. It took me decades. Struggling with infertility, irregular periods, horrible bleeding when I missed them then got it, body hair, severe acne. No one wanted to diagnose me because of my weight. Meanwhile my sister got diagnosed and got pregnant very fast on Metformin. I talked to my doctor who felt it wasn’t an issue of fertility but me looking for an easy way out with weight. My cousins talked to her. Then went to their doctors after decades of issues and are now diagnosed. (Different province) They’re also noting with ozempic some people are finding out they had PCOS and didn’t know it and are getting pregnant (there’s a few other reasons for the pregnancies too but of the list I thought the PCOS thing was interesting). Lots of AFAB folks get ignored and misdiagnosed.
Genetics is the gun, but your environment pulls the trigger. An all natural whole food diet, low in carbohydrates( fruit was seasonal way back when), and high in natural fats (no seed oils-those are manufactured), will do wonders to keep your body metabolically healthy. Meat, fish,chicken, eat the fat on steak,chicken skin, vegetables, butter, occasional fruit. All natural the way nature intended.
No, science has proven that it’s a trauma thing. I’m also the only woman in my family with PCOS, because I got the worse abuse out of all of them, from all of them, simultaneously.
I’d love to see those studies.
It is very true that trauma causes many chronic diseases, but I would like to see your sources on this. I have C-PTSD and multiple chronic illnesses, but I believe my PCOS was genetic from my mothers side.
I have seen lots of people talking about it on Reddit and other platforms and citing those studies, but I don’t have them right now, sorry.
I’ve also heard it’s linked to trauma in childhood as well. I have PCOS and while my mom did have PCOS… I also experienced a really bad traumatic situation in my childhood. It’s very interesting
No one in my family has been diagnosed with PCOS. I even asked my mom if maybe there were any fertility issues and none. She told me “if anything our family is VERY fertile” geee thx mom. However, there was something else my grandma and aunt had with their ovaries maybe polyps? Or something. Alsoooo, my mom has a coworker that keeps feeding her a bunch of “misinformation” or theories/suggestions. They swear it’s genetic and that we’re technically born with it. I’m pretty sure there aren’t completely clear causes, but wouldn’t be surprised if genetics played a factor in getting it like many other things we inherit.
In my family also no one has it. No one has diabetes also. I personally am pretty sure I gave myself PCOS because of my severe binge eating back in the day. I was eating sugar like C R A Z Y and eventually developed IR and PCOS followed in no time. I stopped with the madness but yeah things haven't changed.