Mothers of daughters suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a significantly increased risk of death, particularly if they also have diabetes, according to new research.

The Dutch study compared death rates of mothers and fathers of 958 daughters with PCOS with the general Dutch population.

It was found that mothers over 60 had a risk of death that was one-and-a-half times greater than the general population.

When compared with a group of women with type 2 diabetes from the general population, mother with diabetes who had PCOS daughters had a two-fold increased risk of death.

The researchers from Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, said their findings justified the active screening of mothers of women with PCOS so that timely preventive and treatment measures can be taken.

"Although our study was based on questionnaires and retrospective data, and prospective, long-term follow-up studies are needed, the excess mortality risk is just too high for us to wait patiently for the results of these follow-up studies before taking action to help reduce the risk of deaths in these mothers," the researchers said.

The study is published online in the journal Human Reproduction.