Metformin Improves Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Symptoms Irrespective of Pre-Treatment Insulin Resistance

    November 2007 in “ European journal of endocrinology ”
    Susanne Tan, Susanne Hahn, Sven Benson, Tiina Dietz, Harald Lahner, Lars C. Moeller, M Schmidt, Sigrid Elsenbruch, Rainer Kimmig, Klaus Mann, Onno E. Janßen
    TLDR Metformin helps with PCOS symptoms no matter the patient's initial insulin resistance or weight.
    In a study from 2007 involving 188 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), metformin treatment over 6 months was found to significantly improve insulin resistance (IR), hyperandrogenemia, anovulation, and acne in PCOS patients, regardless of their pre-treatment insulin resistance or body mass index (BMI). The study divided the PCOS patients into three groups based on BMI (lean, overweight, and obese) and compared them with 102 healthy controls. While only obese PCOS patients showed differences in fasting insulin and HOMA-IR compared to controls, metformin therapy improved all outcome parameters except fasting glucose levels across all BMI groups. Notably, in lean PCOS patients without pre-treatment IR, metformin significantly improved HOMA-IR, fasting insulin levels, testosterone levels, anovulation rate, and acne. The study concluded that metformin is beneficial for PCOS symptoms across different weight categories and levels of insulin resistance.
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