The present study aimed to investigate whether the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2010963 and rs833061 in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene is correlated with the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Northern Chinese women, as a preliminary study. This case-control study comprised 118 women with PCOS and 130 healthy women as controls. Genotyping of the two polymorphisms within the VEGF gene 5-untranslated region and promoter region were performed using polymerase chain reaction ligase detection reaction method. The data showed that there was a significant difference in the genotype and allele distribution of the rs2010963 polymorphism between the PCOS group and the control group (p=.020 and .033, respectively). The women carrying the C allele (G/C+C/C genotype) had a lower risk of PCOS compared with the women with G/G genotype [odds ratio (OR=0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.33-0.91]. Our study shows for the first time that the rs2010963 polymorphism may be associated with a risk of PCOS in Northern Chinese women.