PCOS and Cardiometabolic Health over the Reproductive Years

This thesis explores the poorly understood area of long-term cardiometabolic health among women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) over their reproductive years. It aims to analyze and present evidence of when, how and if PCOS per se influences cardiometabolic health outcomes. It is the first body of work to longitudinally assess the link between PCOS and cardiometabolic health in a nationally representative population-based cohort of women aged 18-42 years over their reproductive years using a series of different epidemiological methodologies to address challenges in the data. It fills critical gaps in our understanding of the natural history of PCOS over the reproductive years and advances the field by providing a greater understanding into when and how PCOS influences cardiometabolic health across a woman’s reproductive years.