Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder in women, present in 5-10 percent of women of reproductive age group with reported increased risk of developing adverse cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperandrogenemia and early onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effects of metformin with exercise and diet modification versus exercise and diet modification alone on BMI, Ferriman-Gallwey Score (FGS), ovarian volume, and menstrual cycle length. Methodology: Fifty-two Filipino women with PCOS participated in this prospective, randomized, open-labeled study. The subjects were then randomized to control group (n=26) given exercise and diet modification and metformin group (n=26) given metformin 500mg TID with exercise and diet modification for the period of 6 months. BMI, FGS, ovarian volume and menstrual cycle length were taken for both groups and these were reevaluated after 6 months. Likewise, all subjects were screened for glucose intolerance using 75 g OGTT. Results: The mean age and BMI of all subjects with PCOS (n=52) were 25.51 +/- 0.49 years and 24.48 +/- 0.61 kg/m2 respectively. The metformin group showed no significant reduction in BMI and ovarian volume. However, there was a significant reduction in BMI (P= 0.010) and ovarian volume (R P= 0.002, L P= 0.047) when the metformin group was compared to the control group but not in the FGS. A higher percentage of eumenorrheic subjects were noted in the metformin group compared with the control group (46 percent vs 27 percent). No significant increase in the incidence of impaired glucose intolerance was noted. Conclusion: Metformin has a beneficial effect in patients with PCOS in reducing BMI, ovarian volume, and improving menstrual regularity. However, no significant change was noted in the FGS. (Author)
Metformin ; Policystic Ovary Syndrome ; Oral Glucose Tolerance Test ; Menstrual Cycle ; Body Mass Index