Abstract
Background and AimAnogenital distance (AGD) can serve as a life-long indicator of androgen action in gestational weeks 8–14. AGD has been used as an important tool to investigate the exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds in newborns and in individuals with male reproductive disorder. Endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are two common gynecological disorders and both are related to prenatal androgen levels. Therefore, we performed a systematic review to evaluate the relationships of AGD with these gynecological disorders.MethodsPubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for published studies up to January 25, 2021. No language restriction was implemented.ResultsTen studies were included in this review. Five focused on women with endometriosis, and six investigated women with PCOS. According to these studies, PCOS patients had longer AGD than controls, while endometriosis patients had shorter AGD than controls. In conclusion, this study provides a detailed and accurate review of the associations of AGD with endometriosis and PCOS.ConclusionThe current findings indicate the longer AGD was related to PCOS and shorter AGD was related to endometriosis. However, further well-designed studies are needed to corroborate the current findings.
Highlights
Anogenital distance (AGD) is defined as the distance between the anus and genital tubercle in fetuses
AGD can serve as a life-long indicator of androgen action in gestational weeks 8–14, which is known as the masculinization programming window (MPW) [2]
This systematic review provides a summary of the literature assessing the associations of AGD with gynecological disorders
Summary
Anogenital distance (AGD) is defined as the distance between the anus and genital tubercle in fetuses. Androgen affects the development of the perineal tissue, increasing the distance between the anus and genital tubercle [1]. AGD can serve as a life-long indicator of androgen action in gestational weeks 8–14, which is known as the masculinization programming window (MPW) [2]. The difference has been observed in firsttrimester fetuses by transabdominal ultrasound, and a shorter AGD in male fetuses indicates diseases associated with testicular dysplasia syndrome [3,4,5]. Anogenital distance (AGD) can serve as a life-long indicator of androgen action in gestational weeks 8–14. Endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are two common gynecological disorders and both are related to prenatal androgen levels. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the relationships of AGD with these gynecological disorders
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