The Effect of Metformin on Hirsutism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

In a study from 2002, 16 women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hirsutism participated in a 14-month double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study to evaluate the effect of metformin on hair growth. Ten women completed the study, which consisted of two 6-month phases with a 2-month washout period. The results showed a significant improvement in hirsutism for those on metformin compared to placebo, with Ferriman and Gallwey (F-G) scores decreasing from 17.5±1.2 to 15.8±1.4 (P=0.025), patient self-assessment scores improving from 3.3±0.3 to 2.4±0.1 (P=0.014), and hair growth velocity slowing from 0.77±0.11 mm/day to 0.67±0.17 mm/day (P=0.03). Additionally, metformin treatment significantly reduced weight from 94.0±9.8 kg to 91.5±7.6 kg (P=0.009) and improved menstrual cycle frequency from 0.35±0.08 to 0.53±0.12 cycles per month (P=0.008). The study concluded that metformin treatment leads to clinically and statistically significant improvements in hair growth in women with PCOS.