Metformin may be an effective treatment for PCOS

Neil Johnson

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that affects 10% of all women of childbearing age, and a leading cause of infertility. The ovaries of women with PCOS do not produce all the hormones necessary for ovulation to occur regularly – making conception very unlikley. This hormone imbalance may be caused by an inability to process insulin effectively.

This research is yet to be fully peer reviewed, but was presented at the Fertility Society of Australia’s annual scientific meeting in Brisbane in October 2008. The PCOSMIC study found that Metformin, a diabetes medication that helps to process insulin, was just as effective as Clomiphene in improving ovulation. There was no benefit in using a combination of metformin and clomiphene rather than just one of these drugs as a first line treatment for PCOS.

171 women with PCOS took part in the New Zealand study and were given Clomiphene and/or Metformin or placebo. Metformin and Clomiphene had similar rates of pregnancy success (about 40%) but Metformin has the added benefit of not increasing the incidence of multiple births.

The study also found that women with a healthy body weight were much more successful at getting pregnant compared to those who were overweight.

As a first line treatment for PCOS, Metformin could also be prescribed by GPs, so women do not immediately have to seek treatment from a fertility clinic.

The findings of the PCOSMIC Study contradict an earlier American study, and further international research into the role of Metformin is likely.

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