Effect of drospirenone-containing combined oral contraceptive pills on anthropometric and sonographic characteristics and carbohydrate metabolism parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder affecting 10% of women of reproductive age. Combined oral contraceptive pills (COCP) are effective in PCOS. Drospirenone is a new progestin with properties similar to natural progesterone (including anti-mineralocorticoid and antiandrogenic activities). Aim: to evaluate the effect of drospirenone-containing COCP (20 μg ethinylestradiol and 3 mg drospirenone) on anthropometric and sonographic characteristics, and carbohydrate metabolism parameters in women with PCOS. Patients and Methods: this prospective study enrolled 22 women of reproductive age (mean age 22.1±0.5 years) with PCOS. All females were treated during six cycles (28 days each). At baseline and 6 months after starting treatment, anthropometric (body mass index/BMI, waist-to- hip ratio/WHR) and sonographic (ovary volume) characteristics, and carbohydrate metabolism parameters (plasma insulin, fasting glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance/HOMA-IR) were assessed. Results: 6 months after starting treatment, a significant (p<0.05) reduction in BMI (from 22.54±0.43 kg/m2 to 20.86±0.26 kg/m2), WHR (from 0.81±0.01 to 0.78±0.01), and ovary volume (left ovary: from 12.75±0.43 cm3 to 8.05±0.15 cm3; right ovary: from 13.0±0.54 cm3 to 8.63±0.14 cm3) was reported. Meanwhile, no significant (р>0.05) changes in plasma insulin concentration (9.91±0.42 μU/ml vs. 9.52±0.31 μU/ml), fasting blood glucose (4.95±0.08 mmol/l vs. 4.9±0.07 mmol/l), and HOMA-IR (3.2±1.12 vs. 3.06±0.07) compared to baseline levels were reported. The most common side effects were headache or dizziness (n=3, 13.6%), nausea (n=2, 9.1%) and irregular bleeding (n=3, 13.6%). Conclusion: drospirenone-containing COCP has a beneficial effect on anthropometric paramaters and ovary volume but does not affect carbohydrate metabolism. This drug is characterized by excellent compliance. KEYWORDS: polycystic ovary syndrome, drospirenone, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, reproductive age, ovary volume, glucose, insulin, carbohydrates, HOMA-IR. FOR CITATION: Saprykina L.V., Narimanova M.R., Ibragimova D.M. Effect of drospirenone-containing combined oral contraceptive pills on anthropometric and sonographic characteristics and carbohydrate metabolism parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Russian Journal of Woman and Child Health. 2022;5(2):118–121 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2618-8430-2022-5-2-118-121.