Hormone treatments are safe and effective to use for polycystic ovary syndrome, according to the results of a small trial conducted in Spain.
Researchers in Madrid said they found no evidence of metabolic or cardiovascular harm following treatment of women with oral contraceptives and the anti-androgen spironolactone.
Some 46 women took part in a randomised control trial which compared the hormone treatment with metformin over the course of a year.
The findings are reported today in the European Journal of Endocrinology.
The researchers, from Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, say that further work needs to be done to assess the long-term effects of treatment – but say that safety fears about oral contraceptive based treatment may have been “unwarranted.”
Researcher Professor Héctor F. Escobar-Morreale said, “According to our present results oral contraceptives plus spironolactone is a much more effective treatment than metformin, showing excellent tolerability and safety, with no increased risk of metabolic dysfunction or cardiovascular risk factors.”
Combined oral contraceptives plus spironolactone compared with metformin in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a one year randomized clinical trial. European Journal of Endocrinology 15 September 2017
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