Advanced therapy of overweight or obese polycystic ovary syndrome: a prospective study

Objective

To investigate the effects of orlistat combined with drospirenone/ethinylestradiol tablets (DRSP/EE) on anthropometric indices, sexual hormones, hepatorenal function parameters of overweight or obese patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Methods

75 overweight or obese PCOS patients [body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24 kg/m²] were recruited within the Department of Gynecological Endocrinology, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, from April 2019 to January 2020, for a prospective, randomized, open-labelled comparing study. They were numbered one by one according to the order of recruitement and randomly divided into two groups, group 1 included 50 patients, orlistat plus DRSP/EE; group 2 included 25 patients treated with DRSP/EE alone. Both groups got the same comprehensive intervention in terms of individualized, standardized managment and monitoring of life-style like diet and exercise. The changes of anthropometric indices, sexual hormones, hepatorenal function parameters before and after three months of treatment in the two groups were compared .

Results

After three months of treatment, body weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and BMI of both groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The decrease of body weight, WC, HC and BMI in group 1 was significantly greater than those in group 2 (P < 0.05). Free testosterone and sex hormone–binding globulin in both groups were significantly changed (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the hepatorenal function parameters between the two groups after three months treatment (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

To our knowledge our study is the first to investigate the effects of orlistat combined with DRSP/EE in overweight or obese PCOS patients comparing with the effect of using DRSP/EE alone. Orlistat combined with DRSP/EE was better than use DRSP/EE alone in getting weight loss, which provides an evidence for the choice of rational drug use in clinical practice.