Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome more likely to have Alzheimer's and dementia

Alzheimer's disease and dementia may be more common in women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a review of existing evidence published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

PMOS affects 10% to 15% of women worldwide and is linked to a wide range of health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety, infertility and endometrial cancer. The condition can have lifelong effects and may also affect males, but in different ways.

Clinically, PMOS patients exhibit mild but reproducible impairments in executive function and memory, alongside structural and functional brain alterations, which could suggest greater risk for Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Current evidence suggests that any association between PMOS and Alzheimer's disease and dementia is likely mediated by metabolic comorbidities, particularly insulin resistance and obesity, rather than an independent effect of PMOS itself."

Ricardo Azziz, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., study co-author, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala.

The researchers conducted a comprehensive PubMed search, from inception through October 2025 and inferred people with PMOS may be at greater risk for changes in memory, thinking, brain health, and pathways linked to Alzheimer's disease.

They also deduced that these risks may be related to common health conditions that often occur alongside PMOS, such as obesity and metabolic disorders. The review highlights important gaps in knowledge and identifies key areas for future research.

"Understanding how these two disorders that significantly impact women's health worldwide are inter-related presents the opportunity to not only understand what these two very important morbidities have in common but also to discover new pathways and causes which could guide the development of novel treatments for these devastating diseases," Azziz said.

Other authors are Mina Amiri of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, and the Foundation for Research and Education Excellence in Vestavia, Ala.; Armita Kakavand Hamidi of Tehran University of Medical Sciences; Daniel L. Farkas of the Foundation for Research and Education Excellence and the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif.; and Richard P. Buyalos of the Foundation for Research and Education Excellence and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The study was funded by the Foundation for Research and Education Excellence.