fat mass and obesity associated gene polymorphism and the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome: a meta-analysis

background: we aimed to elucidate the association between fat mass and obesity associated gene (fto) polymorphism and the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (pcos) by meta-analysis. methods: we searched pubmed and embase databases to find the relevant studies. odds ratios (ors) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (cis) were used for pooled analysis. statistical analyses were carried out by using r 3.12 software. heterogeneity was assessed using i 2 and q statistics. i 2 >50% or p <0.05 was considered as heterogeneity statistically, and random effects model was used for pooled analysis. otherwise, fixed-effect model was used. results: twelve eligible studies that published from 2008 to 2015 were included in this meta-analysis. the pooled analyses showed that rs9939609 polymorphism of fto gene was significantly associated with risk of pcos under a vs. t, at vs. tt, aa vs. tt, aa vs. at+tt and aa+at vs. tt genetic models. however, for rs8050136 and rs1421085, significant association was only found under recessive genetic model. conclusion: rs9939609 variation of fto gene is significantly associated with risk of pcos. however, the association between rs8050136, rs1421085, and pcos is still unclear and needs further confirmation.