Metformin Improved Health-Related Quality of Life in Ethnic Chinese Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

    August 2016 in “ Health and Quality of Life Outcomes ”
    Horng Yih Ou, Pei-Chi Chen, Ming-Ho Wu, Chung-Ying Lin
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    TLDR Metformin helped improve the quality of life for Chinese women with PCOS, especially in physical health and symptoms like infertility, acne, and hair loss.
    In a 2016 study involving 109 ethnic Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), metformin was found to significantly improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL), particularly in the physical domain of WHOQOL-Bref and in aspects of PCOS-specific HRQOL such as infertility, acne, and hair loss. The improvements were most notable in overweight (56% of participants) and hyperandrogenic (80% of participants) subgroups. Psychological disturbances related to these symptoms were also significantly ameliorated by metformin, especially in the aforementioned subgroups. Although the emotions domain of HRQOL improved, this change was not statistically significant. The study suggests that metformin may enhance HRQOL in women with PCOS by improving symptoms like acne and hair loss, which are often associated with hyperandrogenism.
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