PCOS patients on metformin oral diabetes medication
The use of insulin-sensitizing or insulin-lowering medications offers new hope to women with PCOS. Metformin oral type 2 diabetes medication can restore menstrual cycles, reduce hypoglycemic episodes, bring about weight loss, and often result in pregnancy where traditional ovulation treatment had failed or was associated with severe complications.
After six months of therapy, studies have shown that 25 to 50 percent of women treated with biguanide will have ovulatory menstrual cycles.
Unfortunately, 25 percent of women will not be able to tolerate the gastrointestinal side effects of this medication (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, flatulence, and loss of appetite). These symptoms are usually temporary.
Βiguanides reduce peripheral resistance to insulin action and lower plasma insulin levels. This means that the body requires less amount of insulin in order to control its blood sugar. Previous studies have demonstrated that orally administered metformin is an effective medicine for managing the body's resistance to insulin associated with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Metformin may occasionally cause mild liver toxicity, characterized by minor elevations in liver enzymes. It occurs in less than 1 percent of the patients taking Metformin and the liver toxicity problems usually resolve quickly once the patient stops taking the Metformin tablets.
We recommend conducting periodic AST and ALT blood tests (liver function tests) as a precaution to avoid any potential problems.
Read more: PCOS diagnosis and treatment
