Table 2.
Effects of Combined Oral Contraceptive on Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism in Study Participants
| PCOS women (n = 10) | Control women (n = 20) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parameter | Baseline | 3 months | Baseline | 3 months | p-Value (baseline comparisons between groups)a | p-Value (comparisons of OC effects between groups)b |
| Total testosterone (ng/dL) | 57.6 ± 38.9 | 22.5 ± 19.9c | 25.5 ± 12.9 | 19.7 ± 9.4d | 0.0021 | 0.8769 |
| Free testosterone (ng/dL) | 8.1 ± 8.5 | 3.5 ± 4.4c | 4.4 ± 2.5 | 1.7 ± 0.8e | 0.0822 | 0.3785 |
| Fasting insulin (μU/L) | 7.9 (4.8–13.1) | 8.7 (6.3–12.1) | 4.7 (3.5–6.4) | 5.6 (4.3–7.4)c | 0.0495 | 0.6336 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dL) | 88.7 ± 6.6 | 88.1 ± 7.0 | 84.1 ± 4.9 | 84.3 ± 6.0 | 0.0393 | 0.6543 |
| AUC insulin (μU/L·min) | 8,643 (5,655–13,210) | 7,864 (6,138–10,024) | 4,260 (3,207–5,661) | 4,675 (3,512–6,217) | 0.0052 | 0.32 |
| Incremental AUC insulin (μU/L·min) | 7,387 (4,947–11,031) | 6,682 (4,474–9,978) | 3,590 (2,704–4,767) | 3,837 (2,890–5,094) | 0.0021 | 0.1071 |
| AUC glucose (mg/dL) | 14,607 (11,631–18,345) | 23,153 (18,436–29,078) | 12,965 (11,036–15,231) | 14,109 (12,010–16,576)c | 0.0784 | 0.0468 |
| Incremental AUC glucose (mg/dL) | 4,250 (2,808–6,432) | 8,344 (3,024–23,017) | 2,671 (1,876–3,803) | 3,803 (2,758–5,245)c | 0.0365 | 0.0234 |
| OGTT glucose120minutes (mg/dL) | 119 ± 29.0 | 124 ± 27.9 | 111 ± 20.3 | 114 ± 27.7 | 0.3921 | 0.8144 |
| Matsuda index | 4.42 ± 2.63 | 4.13 ± 1.57 | 9.06 ± 4.88 | 7.45 ± 3.96f | 0.0093 | 0.1287 |
| HOMA-ISI | 0.73 ± 0.49 | 0.60 ± 0.35 | 1.21 ± 0.61 | 1.01 ± 0.58c | 0.0397 | 0.6234 |
| I (0–30)/G(0–30) (min) | 2.18 (1.72–2.79) | 1.49 (1.05–2.12)f | 1.51 (0.81–2.78) | 1.01(0.66–2.15) | 0.3827 | 0.6285 |
| Disposition index | 8.10 (3.99–16.42) | 5.76 (2.84–11.69) | 11.76 (4.13–19.39) | 7.88 (4.78–12.99) | 0.4352 | 0.8518 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 117 ± 10.5 | 117 ± 9.88 | 116 ± 14.8 | 116 ± 14.8 | 0.8655 | 0.8316 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 69 ± 6.3 | 70 ± 6.1 | 72 ± 7.7 | 72 ± 7.9 | 0.2448 | 0.5006 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 32.6 ± 7.2 | 32.5 ± 6.9 | 31.3 ± 8.8 | 31.3 ± 8.9 | 0.7008 | 0.7352 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 97.4 ± 13.6 | 96.2 ± 16.1 | 87.8 ± 19.8 | 89.4 ± 18.6 | 0.1806 | 0.3056 |
| Waist-to-hip ratio | 0.84 (0.80–0.88) | 0.81 (0.75–0.87) | 0.75 (0.70–0.80) | 0.78 (0.75–0.81)f | 0.0198 | 0.0955 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 168 ± 24.0 | 182 ± 25.4c | 161 ± 27.0 | 182 ± 24.6d | 0.452 | 0.2173 |
| LDL (mg/dL) | 100 ± 16.6 | 107 ± 19.7 | 90 ± 22.0 | 102 ± 25.6c | 0.2398 | 0.5785 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 116 (90.0–137.8) | 136 (93.3–198.5) | 66 (52.8–83.1) | 76 (59.4–98.0) | 0.0044 | 0.6599 |
| HDL (mg/dL) | 45 ± 8.9 | 48 ± 7.8 | 53 ± 11.9 | 61 ± 12.6d | 0.0947 | 0.0882 |
| Number of metabolic risk factors | 2.0 ± 1.2 | 1.6 ± 1.1 | 1.2 ± 1.2 | 0.9 ± 1.1 | 0.0719 | 0.6141 |
Values are indicated in mean ± SD or geometric mean (95% confidence interval).
Baseline comparisons between groups, performed by independent Student's t-tests.
Comparisons of OC effects between PCOS and control groups, performed by repeated measures analysis of variance (visit × PCOS status).
p < 0.05, fp < 0.01,dp < 0.005, ep < 0.001 for comparisons between baseline and 3 months within group, performed with paired t-tests.
AUC, area-under-the-curve; BMI, body–mass index; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HOMA-ISI, homeostatic model assessment of insulin sensitivity index; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; OC, oral contraceptive; OGTT, oral glucose tolerance test.