Professional Documents
Culture Documents
3, 2007
Copyright Middle East Fertility Society
Clinical and Research Center for Infertility, Shahid Sadoughi University. Yazd, Iran
ABSTRACT
Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common metabolism and endocrine disorders among
women. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of metformin on lipid profile changes, insulin
resistance, body mass index (BMI), Ovulation and pregnancy rates in patients affected by PCO syndrome.
Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled study, 200 women aged 20-35 years with PCOS were selected.
Diagnostic criteria were based on the diagnostic criteria of PCO syndrome in Noterdam meeting in 2003. Samples of
fasting peripheral blood were taken from all patients to test cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG, FBS and Insulin before
treatment. Patients were then divided randomly into two groups. In case group (n=100), metformin was prescribed
three times a day (1500 mg daily) and in control group (n=100), placebo was administered in the same way. After
three months, sample of blood was taken again in order to test the variance of the above mentioned parameters to
compare with these amounts before test. Also, BMI was compared before and after treatment in both groups.
Results: BMI was 28.813.18 and 29.49 4.7 Kg/m2 before treatment in case and control groups respectively. This
ratio changed after treatment to 28.45 2.8 and 29.29 4.8 Kg/m2 in case and control groups respectively (P-
value>0.05). FSH/insulin ratio was 4.670.9 and 5.031.3 in case and control group respectively, while it changed
after treatment to 6.07 1.4 and 5.05 1.3 and this difference was significant in case group (P-value=0.0001),but it
was no difference in control group. In case group, HDL level increased after treatment from 26.659.9 to 33.19 9.9
MMoL/L (P-value=0.0001), and Triglyceride level decreased after treatment from 208.9658.9 to 191.5455.4
MMoL/L (P-value=0.004); whereas there was no change in control group. LDL and cholesterol levels did not
change in both groups. Ovulation rate and pregnancy rate were significantly higher in case group than in control
group (86% vs. 20%) (P-value=0.003) and (40% vs. 11%) (P=0.021) respectively. In addition, Metformin had no
significant effect on BMI in case group.
Conclusion: Treatment with metformin during 3 months causes not only the increase in ovulation and pregnancy rates
but also the decrease in insulin resistance and lipid profile changes.
Key words: metformin, PCO syndrome, lipid profile, hyperinsulinemia
Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the most This disorder affects women in reproductive
common metabolism and endocrine disorders age. The signs of PCOS include hyperandrogenism
among women with the prevalence of about %5- and anovulation. Since the cause of this syndrome
%10 worldwide (1).One study investigated its has not been diagnosed yet, therefore its treatment
prevalence among girl students in Yazd, Iran and will be depending on signs and patients
reported the prevalence of %16 (2). characteristics such as: hirsutism, obesity,
*
menstrual disorder and infertility (3).
Research and Clinical Center for Infertility, Shahid Sadoughi
University of Medical Science, Yazd, Iran.
The long term damages such as heart
Department of Ob & Gyn, Shaheed Beheshti University of complication, diabetes and endometrial cancer
Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. should be considered important in this syndrome.
Correspondence: M. Karimzadeh: makarimzadeh@yahoo.com Therefore, many researches lead to investigate the lipid
Vol. 12, No. 3, 2007 Karimzadeh et al. Metformin and polycystic ovary syndrome 175
Table 1. The mean level of Serum FBS, Cholesterol, LDL, HDL and Triglyceride in both groups.
Vol. 12, No. 3, 2007 Karimzadeh et al. Metformin and polycystic ovary syndrome 177
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