Effects of Oral Contraceptives on the Quality of Life of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Crossover Randomized Controlled Trial
April 2020
in “
Research Square (Research Square)
”
TLDR Oral contraceptives with cyproterone acetate improved quality of life for women with PCOS more than those with levonorgestrel.
This crossover randomized controlled trial involving 88 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) compared the effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) containing levonorgestrel (LNG) with those containing desogestrel (DSG), cyproterone acetate (CPA), or drospirenone (DRSP) on quality of life (QOL) over 6 months. The study found no significant differences in QOL domains after 3-6 months of treatment with DSG, CPA, or DRSP compared to LNG. However, after 6 months, OCs containing CPA significantly improved the total QOL scores compared to those containing LNG (P < 0.042). The study concluded that newer generation progestins in OCs were non-inferior to older compounds, with CPA showing notable improvement in overall QOL for PCOS patients.
