Table 3.
Results of selected clinical trials of metformin and oral contraceptive pills in treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome
| Trial | Change in mean BMI, kg/m2 | Change in mean total C, mg/dL | Change in mean HDL-C, mg/dL | Change in mean LDL-C, mg/dL | Change in mean TG, mg/dL | Change in mean insulin, µIU/mL | Change in mean total T, ng/dL | Change in mean FT, pg/mL | Change in mean SHBG, nmol/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glintborg et al10 | M: −1.0 | NR | NR | NR | NR | M: 0.29 | M: −10.09 | NR | M: 9 |
| M + OCP: −0.78 | M + OCP: −1.15 | M + OCP: −12.10 | M + OCP: 106 | ||||||
| OCP: 0.38 | OCP: 1.30 | OCP: −10.37 | OCP: 138 | ||||||
| Essah et al19 | M + OCP: −0.67 (P=0.006) | M + OCP: 8.11 | M + OCP: 4.25 | M + OCP: 2.70 | M + OCP: 47.79 | M + OCP: 1.31 | M + OCP: −138.33 | M + OCP: −0.05 (P=0.01) | M + OCP: 84.2 (P=0.001) |
| OCP + Pl: −0.14 | OCP + Pl: 13.13 (P=0.03) | OCP + Pl: 2.32 | OCP + Pl: 7.34 | OCP + Pl: 38.05 | OCP + Pl: −0.37 | OCP + Pl: −152.73 | OCP + Pl: −0.04 | OCP + Pl: 63.1 | |
| Panidis et al20 | Group A: 0.01 | NR | NR | NR | NR | Group A: 4.85 | Group A: −31.01 (P=0.003) | NR | Group A: 165.94 (P<0.001) |
| Group B: −0.02 | Group B: 2.90 | Group B: −27.55 (P=0.006) | Group B: 196.63 (P<0.001) | ||||||
| Group C: −1.22 | Group C: −0.93 | Group C: −8.11 | Group C: 0.73 | ||||||
| Bilgir et al21 | M + OCP: −1.2 (P<0.001) | M + OCP: −15.8 (P<0.001) | M + OCP: 8.1 (P=0.005) | M + OCP: −7.5 (P<0.001) | M + OCP: −5.1 (P=0.05) | M + OCP: −3.2 (P<0.001) | NR | M + OCP: −0.9 (P<0.001) | NR |
| OCP: −1.3 (P<0.001) | OCP: −12.0 (P=0.002) | OCP: 1.2 | OCP: −5.8 (P=0.005) | OCP: −1.8 | OCP: −2.4 (P<0.001) | OCP: −0.7 (P<0.001) | |||
| Mitkov et al14 | M: −1.0 | M: −3.09 | M: 0.39 | NR | NR | NR | M: −45 | NR | M: 5.31 (P<0.05) |
| M + OCP: −0.5 | M + OCP: −12.74 | M + OCP: −0.39 | M + OCP: −82 | M + OCP: 8.22 | |||||
| Morin-Papunen et al12 | M: −0.4 | NR | NR | NR | NR | M: −2.10 (P<0.05) | M: −20.17 (P<0.05) | NR | M: 4.7 |
| OCP: −0.2 | OCP: −1.21 | OCP: −20.17 (P<0.05) | OCP: 180.4 (P<0.001) | ||||||
| Elter et al22 | M + OCP: −0.54 (P=0.003) | M + OCP: 15.06 | M + OCP: 1.54 | M + OCP: −4.25 | M + OCP: 1.77 | M + OCP: −5.80 (P=0.001) | M + OCP: −32.56 (P=0.032) | M + OCP: −4.99 (P=0.001) | M + OCP: 59.71 (P=0.001) |
| OCP: 0.25 | OCP: 22.78 (P=0.002) | OCP: 1.16 | OCP: 3.86 | OCP: −13.27 | OCP: −5.92 | OCP: −32.56 (P=0.011) | OCP: −4.11 (P=0.010) | OCP: 31.83 (P=0.003) | |
| Morin-Papunen et al23 | M: −1.2 | NR | NR | NR | NR | M: −3.84 (P<0.05) | M: −20.17 | NR | M: −5.4 (P<0.05) |
| OCP: −0.1 | OCP: −2.59 | OCP: −31.70 (P<0.05) | OCP: 130.1 (P<0.001) |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; total C, total cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; total T, total testosterone; FT, free testosterone; SHBG, sex hormone-binding globulin; M, metformin; OCP, oral contraceptive pill; NR, not reported; Pl, placebo.