Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2022 Jun;96(6):758-780.
doi: 10.1111/cen.14663. Epub 2022 Jan 3.

Impact of pharmacological interventions on anthropometric indices in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Impact of pharmacological interventions on anthropometric indices in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Mohammed A Abdalla et al. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous condition affecting women of reproductive age and is associated with increased body weight.

Objective: To review the literature on the effect of different pharmacological interventions on the anthropometric indices in women with PCOS.

Data sources: We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane library, and the Web of Science in April 2020 with an update in PubMed in March 2021.

Study selection: The study followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)2020.

Data extraction: Reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

Results: 80 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Metformin vs placebo showed significant reduction in the mean body weight (MD: -3.13 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -5.33 to -0.93, I² = 5%) and the mean body mass index (BMI) (MD: -0.75 kg/m2 ; 95% CI: -1.15 to -0.36, I² = 0%). There was a significant reduction in the mean BMI with orlistat versus placebo (MD: -1.33 kg/m²; 95% CI: -2.16 to -0.66, I² = 0.0%), acarbose versus metformin (MD: -1.26 kg/m²; 95% CI: -2.13 to -0.38, I² = 0%), and metformin versus pioglitazone (MD: -0.91 kg/m²; 95% CI: -1.62 to -0.19, I² = 0%). A significant increase in the mean BMI was also observed in pioglitazone versus placebo (MD: + 2.59 kg/m²; 95% CI: 1.78-3.38, I² = 0%) and in rosiglitazone versus metformin (MD: + 0.80 kg/m²; 95% CI: 0.32-1.27, I² = 3%). There was a significant reduction in the mean waist circumference (WC) with metformin versus placebo (MD: -1.21 cm; 95% CI: -3.71 to 1.29, I² = 0%) while a significant increase in the mean WC with pioglitazone versus placebo (MD: + 5.45 cm; 95% CI: 2.18-8.71, I² = 0%).

Conclusion: Pharmacological interventions including metformin, sitagliptin, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone orlistat, and acarbose have significant effects on the anthropometric indices in women with PCOS.

Keywords: BMI; WC; WHR; body weight; pharmacological therapy; polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Strowitzki T. Advanced diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome-new prediction models with standard parameters. Fertil Steril. 2021;115(1):92-93.
    1. Teede H, Deeks A, Moran L. Polycystic ovary syndrome: a complex condition with psychological, reproductive and metabolic manifestations that impacts on health across the lifespan. BMC Med. 2010;8:41.
    1. Hoeger KM, Dokras A, Piltonen T. Update on PCOS: consequences, challenges and guiding treatment. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020.
    1. Abdalla MA, Deshmukh H, Atkin S, Sathyapalan T. A review of therapeutic options for managing the metabolic aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab. 2020;11:2042018820938305.
    1. Goodarzi MO, Dumesic DA, Chazenbalk G, Azziz R. Polycystic ovary syndrome: etiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2011;7(4):219-231.

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources