Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Anti-Mullerian Hormone; Gestational Diabetes; Hyperandrogenism; Hyperinsulinemia; Infertility; Insulin Resistance; Metabolic Health; Obesity; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Pregnancy

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a widespread endocrine disorder that affects millions of women globally. In addition to hormone imbalances and irregular menstrual cycles, PCOS can lead to metabolic dysfunctions, such as elevated insulin levels (hyperinsulinemia) and insulin resistance. Hyperinsulinemia is a central feature of PCOS, driving reproductive symptoms and contributing to the elevated health risk associated with pregnancy with PCOS. Although hyperinsulinemia is a fundamental attribute of PCOS, the relationship between high insulin levels and PCOS etiology, as well as its effects on pregnancy, have not been fully resolved. Using a mouse model of PCOS generated through prenatal exposure to anti-Müllerian hormone with genetically reduced endogenous insulin production, I aim to examine how decreasing insulin levels affects both the pathogenesis of PCOS and health outcomes during pregnancy with PCOS. From adolescence to adulthood, I will examine reproductive and metabolic features indicative of PCOS such as estrous cyclicity, testosterone levels, and polycystic ovarian morphology, and assess health in pregnant mice by examining the incidence of gestational diabetes and measuring pancreatic beta cell mass during pregnancy. By defining the symptoms of PCOS that are ameliorated by lowering insulin levels, this study will identify which patients may benefit most from insulin-lowering medications and reduction of insulin levels through lifestyle interventions. Additionally, this study will provide insight into how limiting insulin levels impacts health risk during pregnancy with PCOS.