How does metformin help for PCOS?

Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2006 Jul;65(1):75-80.

Metformin therapy improves coronary microvascular function in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and insulin resistance.

Topcu S,Tok D, Caliskan M,Ozcimen EE, Gullu H,Uckuyu A,Erdogan D,Zeyneloglu H,Muderrisoglu H.

Department of Cardiology, Baskent University, Konya Teaching and Medical Research Centre, Konya, Turkey.

Background:

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are thought to have increased cardiovascular risk. Metformin therapy reduces whole-body insulin resistance (IR) in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM).

Objectives:

As insulin resistance accompanying PCOS may be reversed by metformin therapy, we hypothesized that metformin therapy might improve coronary microvascular functions in women with PCOS and IR.

Patients and

Methods:

We treated 16 women with PCOS and IR with metformin, and measured coronary flow reserve (CFR) at the beginning and after 6 months of metformin therapy using transthoracic second-harmonic Doppler echocardiography.

Results:

At the end of the 6 months of metformin therapy, baseline coronary diastolic peak flow velocity (DPFV) did not change significantly (from 24.6 +/- 4.3 to 23.0 +/- 3.1, P = 0.106); however, hyperaemic coronary DPFV (from 68.2 +/- 12.7 to 74.5 +/- 9.7, P = 0.08), and CFR (from 2.75 +/- 0.48 to 3.3 +/- 0.5, P = 0.016) was significantly improved by metformin therapy.

Conclusion:

In women with PCOS, coronary microvascular function and CFR are significantly improved by 6 months of therapy with metformin.

See Also:

PCOS - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

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