These findings emphasize the importance of lifestyle intervention in women with PCOS who are trying to have children. This reasonably large study found that diet and exercise offer advantages to women with PCOS, not only in reversing some of the metabolic effects of PCOS, but also in higher ovulation rates and trends toward improved pregnancy rates.
 |
Bradley J. Van Voorhis |
It’s also noteworthy that simply putting women on birth control pills alone had some negative effects on glucose metabolism and the risk for metabolic syndrome. So, the other significant message is that it’s probably not wise to simply place women with PCOS on oral contraceptives alone, and oral contraceptive therapy should be done in conjunction with lifestyle interventions.
The findings are practice changing in that they’ll motivate me to always counsel patients with PCOS who are starting oral contraceptives on the potential for adverse effects and the need for dietary control and weight loss. It was surprising to me, the effect of a relatively short course of birth control pills on glucose metabolism and metabolic syndrome.
Dr. Bradley Van Voorhis, professor of medicine and director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, made these comments in an interview. He reported having no financial disclosures.
AT 2014 ASRM
