KatCarney

Lesbians More Prone To Ovarian Dysfunction?
Study: PCOS Feature May Affect Sexual Orientation

POSTED: 10:11 a.m. EDT June 30, 2003

A common cause of infertility in women is more than twice as prevalent among lesbians than among heterosexual women, according to British researchers.

Furthermore, the biochemical disorder associated with the condition might contribute to the women's sexual orientation, said researchers at the London Women's Clinic and The Hallam Medical Centre.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome -- or PCOS -- is the most common cause of ovarian dysfunction in women and is caused by an imbalance of sex hormones. Resesearchers found that the condition occurs more often in lesbian women, and they hypothesize that hyperandrogenism, one of the main features of PCOS, could be contributing to the women's sexual orientation.

The study included 618 women who attended the clinic for fertility treatment between November 2001 and January 2003. Of these, 254 were lesbian and 364 were heterosexual women.

The women did not know whether they had PCOS before attending the clinic, but 15 percent of them had been treated previously for PCOS-related symptoms, such as irregular periods, inability to conceive, acne or excessive body or facial hair.

The researchers found that 14 percent of heterosexual women had PCOS, compared to 38 percent of lesbian women.

When analyzing the women's hormones, the researchers found that lesbian women had significantly higher levels of testosterone, androstenedione, free testosterone index and luteinizing hormones, and a significantly lower level of sex hormone binding globulin compared to heterosexual women.

Lead researcher Dr. Rina Agrawal, who presented the research Monday at a meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology, is quick to dismiss ideas that PCOS treatments could be seen as a "cure" for lesbianism.

"Our research neither suggests nor indicates that PCOS causes lesbianism, only that (the condition) is more prevalent in lesbian women. We do, however, hypothesize that hyperandrogenism, which is associated with PCOS, may be one of the factors contributing to the sexual orientation of women," Agrawal said.

"We do not view lesbianism as a disease that is in need of a 'cure.' The only aspects of health care we offer these women are reproductive health and assisted reproduction," she said.

The study also found that lesbians and heterosexual women are at a similar risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

Source: http://www.newsnet5.com/health/2301866/detail.html

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