The Women’s Health Team is dedicated to advancing knowledge on gynecological and hormone-related conditions and their long-term impact on women’s health.
A key focus of our work is understanding how gynecological conditions influence lifelong health outcomes, with particular emphasis on hormone-related disorders such as polyendocrine metabolic ovary syndrome, PMOS (formerly PCOS). We investigate the role of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) in the pathogenesis and transmission of PMOS and seek to uncover the molecular mechanisms and pathways underlying altered endometrial and placental function in affected women.
Our team also examines the inflammatory and metabolic effects of hormonal contraceptives, as well as the roles of inflammation, hypoxia, and metabolism-related factors in endometrial regeneration and endometrial health.
By generating new scientific knowledge, we develop means and tools to increase awareness of women’s health. Moreover, we actively contribute to the expansion of evidence-based treatment guidelines and practical tools to support healthcare professionals in their work. One of our key interests is the effect of women-specific health issues on working ability and well-being at work.
Collaboration is central to our mission. We work closely with national and international research teams, patient organizations, and other stakeholders to promote equity, reduce health disparities, and improve health outcomes for women at all ages.
Terhi T. Piltonen, MD, PhD, Professor, Chief Physician, is a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive endocrinology/IVF in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Oulu University Hospital and the University of Oulu, Finland. Her research advances the lifelong gynecological and obstetric health of women, with her team leading internationally recognized programs on women’s health burden and work ability, PMOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, previously PCOS), hormonal contraception, hormonal aging, and endometrial health. Her group has wide methodological breadth, combining randomized controlled trials (>4,000 participants), birth cohorts, nationwide registers, mouse models, and clinical samples. Flagship resources include the Northern Finland Birth Cohorts (>20,000 participants born in 1966 and 1986), a national register dataset of women with PMOS and their first-degree relatives, and ENDObank (>500 endometrial samples). Most recently, her team completed the landmark WENDY trial, screening nearly 2,000 women for gynecological symptoms and diseases and capturing more than
10,000 variables to evaluate their impact on metabolic, psychological, and quality-of-life outcomes. Current EU-funded research also includes projects aimed at improving work ability in women. Professor Piltonen plays a leading role in shaping international clinical practice to improve women’s health. She has contributed to global guideline development for PMOS, contraception, and unexplained infertility, and is actively involved in the ongoing international PCOS name change initiative. She previously served as Associate Editor for Fertility and Sterility and the European Journal of Endocrinology and is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. She is the President of the Androgen Excess and PCOS Society (AE-PCOS) and a former Chair of the Scientific Committee and a Board Member of the Nordic Federation of Societies in Obstetrics and Gynecology (NFOG).
With more than 200 publications and an H-index of 57, Professor Piltonen is a leading voice in overall women’s health, PCOS, contraception, and endometrial health research. oulu.fi/mrc/research-groups/piltonen