Polycystic ovary syndrome in Latin American populations: What is known and what remains unresolved

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the main endocrine and reproductive disorders affecting women in their reproductive age. The syndrome is considered a multifactorial pathology. Therefore, genetic susceptibility and environmental factors contribute to PCOS development and phenotypic manifestation. Ethnicity and so-cioeconomic factors influence the development of PCOS and could affect the possibility of its diagnosis. Latin America is a unique case of study because of the heterogeneity within the region, complex socioeconomic status, and the mixed ancestry found in these populations. Up-to-date, most studies have focused on developed coun-tries' populations, and there is a lack of evidence regarding Latin-American countries. We propose to review the state of the art of PCOS knowledge regarding Latin American populations, including the metabolic and repro-ductive aspects of the syndrome and the different influencing factors, and suggest future directions to deepen the study of PCOS.