A new study has found a possible explanation for the impaired ovulation seen in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common female hormone disorder. Study results will be presented Monday, June 4, at The Endocrine Society’s 89th Annual Meeting in Toronto.

A chemical cellular messenger that is vital for ovulation was absent in the ovaries of women with PCOS in a study conducted in the United Kingdom.

PCOS, which affects 5 to 10 percent of reproductive-age women, often causes infrequent or no menstruation as well as infertility due to lack of ovulation. There is no effective treatment of PCOS because the exact cause is unknown, according to the study’s primary author, Dr. Stephen Atkin, head of diabetes and endocrinology at the University of Hull.

Atkin and his co-workers compared ovarian biopsy samples from six women with PCOS and eight women without the syndrome. They looked at numerous cytokines, which are chemical messengers used by cells to communicate with each other. One of the cytokines, interleukin-1 beta, was absent in ovarian biopsy samples of women with PCOS but was found in most women without the hormone disorder.

Animal studies previously found interleukin-1 beta to be crucial for ovulation, Atkin said. Therefore, the authors believe that the lack of this chemical messenger might explain the irregular or absent ovulation found in women with PCOS. Atkin called for larger studies to confirm their findings and to better understand the cause of PCOS.

“Unraveling the precise role of interleukin-1 beta in the ovulatory process in polycystic ovary syndrome may have a significant impact on the treatment of this very common condition,” Atkin said.

Currently, many patients with PCOS receive birth control pills to regulate ovulation, or they undergo infertility treatments if they want to become pregnant. In the future, it may be possible for a drug directed at interleukin-1 beta to enhance ovulation, he said.

The University of Hull funded this study.

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