PCOS: Weight loss and exercise improve fertility

This is the conclusion of a new study published in the scientific journal   The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism .

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common cause of female infertility. It is a condition that occurs when a woman’s body produces slightly more than normal amounts of testosterone and other androgens, which are hormones associated with male secondary sex characteristics. The resulting hormonal imbalance can cause irregular or no menstrual cycles, weight gain, acne, excess facial and body hair, and thinning hair on the scalp.

There are many women who suffer from this problem.

According to the authors of the study, the results found only confirm what has been suspected for some time and which we too have always reiterated here on the site: physical exercise and a healthy diet can improve fertility in women suffering from PCOS.

The choice in the pre-conception phase to change one’s lifestyle for the better is also useful when pharmacological treatments are carried out which strengthen the results.

Many women currently take birth control pills to regulate the menstrual cycle and reduce the level of androgens in the body. Previous research has indicated that short-term pretreatment with the birth control pill may increase pregnancy rates among women with PCOS.
The new study examined the differences in outcomes in terms of achieving pregnancy among 149 women with PCOS who either took birth control pills, made lifestyle changes, or adopted a combination of both over a 4-month period. ,

The women participants were between the ages of 18 and 40, were overweight or obese but had no other medical problems. After 4 months they underwent four cycles of ovulation induction.

Among the 49 women who had taken the contraceptive pill, there were 5 full-term pregnancies. Among the 50 women who had changed their lifestyle there were 13 births. Among the remaining 50 women who had both taken the pill and made lifestyle changes, there were 12 births.

As you can see from the data reported, women who changed their lifestyle or who, in combination with this change, took the contraceptive pill for a short time, were more likely to ovulate than women who had only taken the pill. In addition, the women who made lifestyle changes had better insulin sensitivity and lower levels of triglycerides – a type of fat found in the blood – than women who took birth control pills.

Research therefore indicates that  weight loss and exercise improve women’s reproductive health and metabolism.  The use of oral contraceptives alone can worsen the metabolic profile without improving ovulation. Lifestyle change is therefore an important part of any approach to fertility treatment for women suffering from PCOS who are overweight or obese.