Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Recent data indicate that women affected by the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the association ethinylestradiol 30 μg–drospirenone 3 mg (DRP/EE30 μg) plus metformin and weight loss on surrogate markers of CVD in PCOS.

Methods: Twenty-five young women with PCOS (mean age 22.76±0.83 years, body mass index (BMI): 28.44±6.23) completed this 6-month study. The oral contraceptive- DRP/EE30 μg (21 days/month) and metformin (1700 mg daily) were administered to the PCOS group. Additionally, the 15 overweight and obese patients (BMI >25 kg/m²) were instructed in a diet of no more than 1500 cal daily. The main outcome measures were surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease and included endothelial function, i.e. flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) on the brachial artery and endothelin-1 levels, as well as body composition, insulin resistance and serum lipid profile. Variables were assessed at baseline, as well as after six cycles of treatment.

Results: The combination between DRP/EE30 μg plus metformin combined with weight loss triggered a significant improvement in the FMD values (FMD-PCOS basal 3.48±1.00 vs FMD–PCOS 6 months7.43±1.04, P=0.033), as well as body composition and insulin insensitivity while negatively affecting lipid profile (P<0.05).

In conclusion, a 6-month course of metformin – DRP/EE30 μg (associated with weight loss) improves the endothelial dysfunction in PCOS. These results suggest that the medical therapy of PCOS should be reconsidered, especially for women with additional metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This work was supported, however funding details unavailable.