An evolutionary approach to explain the high frequency of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Abstract

Infertility and sterility are worldwide phenomena with a long history. At a first glance a condition causing sterility seems to be paradox in an evolutionary sense because it contradicts the biogenetical imperative. In the present paper an evolutionary explanation for the high prevalence rate of PCOS, the most common endocrine disorder causing female infertility, is presented. The symptomatology of PCOS is described and the high prevalence rates of PCOS are explained by means of Darwinian medicine, kin selection and allomothering.