Clinical trial · Interventional
Metformin in Infertile PCOS Patients
Efficacy of Long- Versus Short-term Metformin Protocol in Infertile Anovulatory PCOS Patients
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Metformin, an oral biguanide administrated for treating type-2 diabetes mellitus, is a safe and effective drug recently experimented also in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The administration of metformin induces ovulatory cycles in CC-resistant or -nonresistant patients with PCOS, and improves the ovulation rate as an additional treatment in women who received CC. To date, it is unknown the best protocol for metformin administration. In particular, it is not known how long patients who ovulate under metformin should continue treatment before switching to second-line ovulation induction therapy. In this regard, in a recent study by the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis we demonstrated that the first pregnancy occurred late after metformin with an estimated median of seven months. Based on these considerations, the aim of the present study will be to evaluate the clinical efficacy of metformin according to its duration of administration in infertile PCOS patients ovulating under treatment.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polycystic Ovary Syndrome | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metformin | Drug | Metformin | ALIAS |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Group A
- description
- Short protocol
- interventionNames
- Drug: Metformin
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Group B
- description
- Long protocol
- interventionNames
- Drug: Metformin
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Pregnancy rate
- timeFrame
- 12 months
Secondary outcomes (1)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- Female
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 35 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Polycystic ovary syndrome (using NIH criteria) * Anovulatory infertility (using WHO criteria) * Ovulatory cycles under metformin (three cycles) Exclusion Criteria: * Age \<18 or \>35 years * Severe obesity (BMI \>35) * Neoplastic, metabolic, hepatic, and cardiovascular disorders or other concurrent medical illnesses * Hypothyroidism, hyperprolactinemia, Cushing's syndrome, and non-classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia * Current or previous (within the last six months) use of oral contraceptives, glucocorticoids, antiandrogens, antidiabetic and anti-obesity drugs or other hormonal drugsPrevious use of ovulation induction agents * Intention to start a diet or a specific program of physical activity * Organic pelvic diseases * Previous pelvic surgery * Suspected peritoneal factor infertility * Tubal or male factor infertility or sub-fertility
References
Publications (2)
- BACKGROUNDPalomba S, Orio F Jr, Falbo A, Russo T, Tolino A, Zullo F. Clomiphene citrate versus metformin as first-line approach for the treatment of anovulation in infertile patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Sep;92(9):3498-503. doi: 10.1210/jc.2007-1009. Epub 2007 Jun 26. PMID 17595241
- BACKGROUNDPalomba S, Orio F Jr, Falbo A, Manguso F, Russo T, Cascella T, Tolino A, Carmina E, Colao A, Zullo F. Prospective parallel randomized, double-blind, double-dummy controlled clinical trial comparing clomiphene citrate and metformin as the first-line treatment for ovulation induction in nonobese anovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Jul;90(7):4068-74. doi: 10.1210/jc.2005-0110. Epub 2005 Apr 19. PMID 15840746