Weight loss interventions can improve menstrual frequency and hormonal markers in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Weight loss intervention is a program of education, counseling, and support for people who wish to lose weight.

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that weight loss intervention can help women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is caused by hormonal imbalances that affect menstrual cycle, fertility, and weight (1Effect of Weight Loss Interventions on the Symptomatic Burden and Biomarkers of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

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Impact of Weight Loss on PCOS

The research found that women with PCOS practicing weight-loss intervention had improved menstrual frequency and could be considered a routine treatment option for patients with PCOS.

Researchers at the University of Oxford comprehensively searched several scientific research databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from database inception until June 2024 comparing interventions aiming to reduce weight against usual care or low-intensity weight-loss interventions in people with PCOS.

The review was conducted to address the gap in evidence quantifying the impact of weight loss on the management of PCOS, which makes it particularly challenging for clinicians to advise the potential impacts of weight loss interventions. Pairs of independent reviewers screened the studies and analyzed the impact of weight intervention on metabolic markers, hormonal markers, gynecological markers, and quality of life compared to offering no additional care, usual care (metformin, oral contraceptives, standard advice), or a lower-intensity weight loss intervention (advice for weight loss without support).

Effective PCOS Treatments

Interventions included behavioral interventions (diet or physical activity), current or previously licensed weight loss pharmacotherapy (or those that share a class effect), bariatric surgery, or combinations of such interventions. The researchers also spoke with 36 women who have PCOS to better inform their selection of primary outcomes and presentation of findings.

The researchers found that weight loss interventions were associated with greater reductions in glycemic control and hormonal markers including the free androgen index (FAI). These findings indicate that weight loss interventions may be an effective tool for PCOS management in applied clinical settings, and clinicians could use these results to counsel patients with PCOS on the improvements in PCOS markers after weight loss and direct them toward appropriate interventions.

Reference:

1. Effect of Weight Loss Interventions on the Symptomatic Burden and Biomarkers of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
   – (https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-3179)

Source-Eurekalert