Effectiveness of Low-dose Ethinylestradiol/Cyproterone Acetate and Ethinylestradiol/Desogestrel with and without Metformin on Hirsutism in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-blind, Triple-dummy Study.

BACKGROUND

The effectiveness of different combined oral contraceptive pills and metformin in reducing hirsutism in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine the effects of ethinylestradiol (35μg)/cyproterone acetate (2mg) (EE/CPA) and ethinylestradiol (20μg)/desogestrel (0.15mg) (EE/DES), alone or with metformin, on hirsutism in PCOS.

METHODS

A randomized, double-blind, triple-dummy study was conducted on women with PCOS and hirsutism (N=107) who received one of four drug combinations (Arm A: EE/CPA; Arm B: EE/DES; Arm C: EE/CPA plus metformin; or Arm D: EE/DES plus metformin). Hirsutism was assessed at baseline, six months, and 12 months by using five outcomes variables.

RESULTS

No outcomes variable showed a significant difference between the four arms at 12 months. There was a significant reduction in both hair density and modified Ferriman-Gallwey score (mFGS) in Arm A, mFGS in Arm B, hair density in Arm C, and diameter of sideburn hair in Arm D, respectively. Separately, there was a significant increase noted in the hair growth rate of chin and an improvement in patients' perceptions of hirsutism in all four study arms.

CONCLUSION

EE/CPA and EE/DES were equally effective in improving hirsutism in PCOS, with no added benefit from low-dose metformin. Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.slctr.lk) registration no. SLCTR/2015/007.