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PCOS: surprising news in treating this common infertility problem
Posted on Feb 9th 2007 3:00PM by Bethany SandersFiled Under: Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss
Here's some surprising news from the infertility arena -- a recent study has found that the old standby drug clomiphene (Clomid) actually works better than diabetes drug metformin for treating PCOS-related fertility problems.
PCOS -- or polycystic ovarian syndrome -- is the leading cause of infertility today. Among the syndrome's symptoms are obesity and insulin resistance, as well as irregular ovulation and menstrual cycles. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that women with PCOS who take metformin ovulate on a more regular basis, so for several years the drug has been prescribed off label to women suffering from infertility. The old fashioned clomiphene looked to be on its way out, but this recent study may put it back into the spotlight.
Women in the study were divided into three groups. One group took only clomiphene, a second took only metformin, and a third took both. The group that took metformin alone had a live birth rate of 7% while the group that took clomiphene had a live birth rate that reached 22%. Interestingly, the group that took both drugs had a higher ovulation rate than the other two groups, but their birth rate was not significantly higher, leading researchers to believe that all ovulation is not created equal.
Though the clomiphene group was more successful, their success rate was still only 1 in 5, making it clear that more PCOS research is necessary to understand this syndrome and its role in infertility.
PCOS -- or polycystic ovarian syndrome -- is the leading cause of infertility today. Among the syndrome's symptoms are obesity and insulin resistance, as well as irregular ovulation and menstrual cycles. Anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that women with PCOS who take metformin ovulate on a more regular basis, so for several years the drug has been prescribed off label to women suffering from infertility. The old fashioned clomiphene looked to be on its way out, but this recent study may put it back into the spotlight.
Women in the study were divided into three groups. One group took only clomiphene, a second took only metformin, and a third took both. The group that took metformin alone had a live birth rate of 7% while the group that took clomiphene had a live birth rate that reached 22%. Interestingly, the group that took both drugs had a higher ovulation rate than the other two groups, but their birth rate was not significantly higher, leading researchers to believe that all ovulation is not created equal.
Though the clomiphene group was more successful, their success rate was still only 1 in 5, making it clear that more PCOS research is necessary to understand this syndrome and its role in infertility.
