28 Apr PCOS: Metformin and Weight Loss

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Dorte Glintborg PhD
Senior Hospital Physician, PhD Dorte Glintborg, Department of Endocrinology, OUH Odense University Hospital

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of this study?

Dr. Glintborg: The main finding of the study is that one year’s metformin treatment is associated with a minor but significant weight loss in patients with PCOS irrespective of BMI at study inclusion. Treatment with oral contraceptives improves sex-hormone levels but is associated with at minor weight gain. Based on the study results, clinicians should consider the combined treatment with metformin and oral contraceptives in patients with PCOS.

MedicalResearch.com: What further research do you recommend as a result of this report?

Dr. Glintborg: Future studies are needed to further examine the long term effects of metformin and/or oral contraceptives on quality of life and inflammatory markers. We speculate that the minor changes in weight after medical intervention could be insufficient to change inflammatory markers.

Quality of life is however significantly decreased in PCOS and is associated with obesity and hyperandrogen symptoms. It is therefore possible that combined treatment with metformin and oral contraceptives could be superior to mono-treatment with either treatment modality regarding quality of life. These hypotheses are to be tested in future studies.

Citation:

Body composition is improved during 12 months treatment with metformin alone or combined with oral contraceptives compared to treatment with oral contraceptives in polycystic ovary syndrome.
Glintborg D1, Altinok ML, Mumm H, Hermann AP, Ravn P, Andersen M.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Apr 17:jc20141135. [Epub ahead of print]

Last Updated on April 28, 2014 by Marie Benz MD FAAD