Register for Obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome benefit from naltrexone treatment
EndocrinologyAugust 1, 2002
2002 AUG 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Naltrexone treatment lowered insulin resistance and reduced body fat mass in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome, researchers in Italy found.
Franca Fruzzetti and colleagues at the University of Pisa performed an open, controlled clinical trial to determine the effects of naltrexone therapy on obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The study involved 10 women who received 6 months of naltrexone (50 mg/day) therapy.
Women underwent testing for basal levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), 17beta-estradiol (E2), 17-hydroxyprogesterone, total and free T, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, cortisol, and sex hormone-binding globulin. Researchers also administered an oral glucose tolerance test and measured the gonadotropin response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (Effect of long-term naltrexone treatment on endocrine profile, clinical features, and insulin sensitivity in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome, Fertility and Sterility, 2002;77(5):936-944).
Over the course of treatment, body mass index (BMI) of the women dropped from 29.94 to 26.07, and the ratio of fasting glucose to insulin improved for women who were insulin-resistant. Hormonal benefits were also apparent. Menstrual cycles became more regular, with an average cycle length of 40-360 days at baseline to 28-120 days at 6 months. Free T androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and cortisol concentrations decreased during treatment.
"Naltrexone may have a beneficial effect on the clinical and endocrine-metabolic disturbances of obese PCOS women," concluded Fruzzetti and collaborators. "Whether these effects are the consequences of weight loss or are due to changes in opioidergic tone is debatable."
The corresponding author for this study is Franca Fruzzetti, University of Pisa, Department of Reproductive Medicine and Child Development, Section of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Via Roma 67, I-56100 Pisa, Italy. E-mail: ffruzzi.tin.it.
A search at www.NewsRx.net using the search term "women's health obesity" yielded 218 articles in 28 specialized reports.
Key points reported in this study include:
* Obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who underwent 6 months of naltrexone treatment lost a significant amount of body fat
* For insulin-resistant obese women with PCOS, insulin resistance decreased after 6 months of naltrexone treatment
* The regularity of menstrual cycles and the hormonal profiles of obese women with PCOS improved after 6 months of naltrexone treatment This article was prepared by Women's Health Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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