Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

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Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Main article: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Overview

Updated: 4-September-2024

Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Although there is no cure for PCOS, many of the symptoms and effects of PCOS can be improved and sometimes normalised using conventional treatments.

Conventional treatment options for women with PCOS include:

  • Medication
  • Surgery

Of these 2 options, medication is always the preference. However in cases where medication (and lifestyle modification) has failed, the doctor may recommend bariatric/metabolic surgery.

Medication

Medication options for PCOS include:

  • Spironolactone
  • Flutamide
  • Finasteride
  • Isotretinoin
  • Bicalutamide
  • Cyproterone acetate
  • Birth Control Pills
  • Progesterone
  • Metformin
  • Pioglitazone
  • Sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors
  • Glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs

Some of these medications are also helpful for women with PCOS trying to lose weight.

Read More:

Spironolactone

Spironolactone (Aldactone) is an old but proven diuretic with anti-androgen properties.

Spironolactone is commonly prescribed to treat clinical signs of hyperandrogenism in women with PCOS. LH levels and LH/FSH ratio also improves significantly with treatment.1,2

However, spironolactone fails to improve insulin sensitivity overall which worsens menstrual regularity for some women with PCOS.3

More importantly, spironolactone, as a diuretic is not suitable for women with untreated mineral imbalance (e.g. low sodium), heart, liver or kidney problems.

Reported side effects of spironolactone treatment includes intermenstrual spotting, headaches, dizziness, breast tenderness, dry skin, gastritis, hyperkalemia and folate deficiency (or increased homocysteine levels).4,5

References

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