scholarly journals The physiological basis of complementary and alternative medicines for polycystic ovary syndrome

2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (1) ◽  
pp. E1-E10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazia Raja-Khan ◽  
Elisabet Stener-Victorin ◽  
XiaoKe Wu ◽  
Richard S. Legro
Keyword(s):  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Subclinical Atherosclerosis ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Physiological Effects ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Autonomic Nervous ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder that is characterized by chronic hyperandrogenic anovulation leading to symptoms of hirsutism, acne, irregular menses, and infertility. Multiple metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors are associated with PCOS, including insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, inflammation, and subclinical atherosclerosis. However, current treatments for PCOS are only moderately effective at controlling symptoms and preventing complications. This article describes how the physiological effects of major complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments could reduce the severity of PCOS and its complications. Acupuncture reduces hyperandrogenism and improves menstrual frequency in PCOS. Acupuncture's clinical effects are mediated via activation of somatic afferent nerves innervating the skin and muscle, which, via modulation of the activity in the somatic and autonomic nervous system, may modulate endocrine and metabolic functions in PCOS. Chinese herbal medicines and dietary supplements may also exert beneficial physiological effects in PCOS, but there is minimal evidence that these CAM treatments are safe and effective. Mindfulness has not been investigated in PCOS, but it has been shown to reduce psychological distress and exert positive effects on the central and autonomic nervous systems, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and immune system, leading to reductions in blood pressure, glucose, and inflammation. In conclusion, CAM treatments may have beneficial endocrine, cardiometabolic, and reproductive effects in PCOS. However, most studies of CAM treatments for PCOS are small, nonrandomized, or uncontrolled. Future well-designed studies are needed to further evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and mechanisms of CAM treatments for PCOS.

scholarly journals Predictors of Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Interrelationship of Dyslipidemia and Arterial Blood Pressure

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djuro Macut ◽  
Marina Bačević ◽  
Ivana Božić-Antić ◽  
Jelica Bjekić-Macut ◽  
Milorad Čivčić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Subclinical Atherosclerosis ◽  
Intima Media Thickness ◽  
Carotid Intima Media Thickness ◽  
Clinical Markers ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Arterial Blood

Background. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) could develop subclinical atherosclerosis during life.Purpose. To analyze cardiovascular risk (CVR) factors and their relation to clinical markers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in respect to their age.Material and Methods. One hundred women with PCOS (26.32±5.26years, BMI:24.98±6.38 kg/m2) were compared to 50 respective controls. In all subjects, total cholesterol (TC), HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides, TC/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C ratios, glucose, insulin and HOMA index, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP, resp.), and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) were analyzed in respect to their age and level of androgens.Results. PCOS over 30 years had higher WHR (P=0.008), SBP (P<0.001), DBP (P<0.001), TC (P=0.028), HDL-C (P=0.028), LDL-C (P=0.045), triglycerides (P<0.001), TC/HDL-C (P<0.001), and triglycerides/HDL-C (P<0.001) and had more prevalent hypertension and pronounced CIMT on common carotid arteries even after adjustment for BMI (P=0.005and 0.036, resp.). TC/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C were higher in PCOS with the highest quintile of FAI in comparison to those with lower FAI (P=0.045and 0.034, resp.).Conclusions. PCOS women older than 30 years irrespective of BMI have the potential for early atherosclerosis mirrored through the elevated lipids/lipid ratios and through changes in blood pressure.

scholarly journals The Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine-Associated Complementary and Alternative Medicine on Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Wenjuan Shen ◽  
Bao Jin ◽  
Yujia Pan ◽  
Yanhua Han ◽  
Tianjiao You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine ◽  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Symptom Relief ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a touchy clinical and public health problem worldwide, which adversely affects women’s health and health-related comorbidities for lifetime, and represents a tremendous burden for both the family of the patient and for society. According to the diagnostic criteria used and the population studied, the prevalence rate of PCOS is between 6% and 21%. However, current conventional modern medicines for PCOS are only moderately effective at controlling the signs and symptoms, while they are not thoroughly able to prevent complications. Therefore, many patients have turned to complementary and alternative medical (CAM) treatments. CAM use is wide spread among patients with PCOS, and more than 70% of patients use CAM at one point during their diseases. The patients’ primary motivations include dissatisfaction with available medications, perceive higher risk of drug side effects and crushing health burden and economic costs, desire for symptom relief, pursuit of shortening the course of disease, and the belief that CAM therapy is in accordance with the patients’ values and beliefs. At present, several CAM methods have been used in women with PCOS, which has achieved obvious effects. However, biologically plausible mechanisms of the action of traditional Chinese medicine- (TCM-) associated CAM for PCOS have not been systematically reviewed. This review briefly summarizes the current progress of the impact of herbal medicine on the outcomes of PCOS and introduces the mechanisms.

scholarly journals Resveratrol Is Not as Effective as Physical Exercise for Improving Reproductive and Metabolic Functions in Rats with Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Benrick ◽  
Manuel Maliqueo ◽  
Sun Miao ◽  
Jesus A. Villanueva ◽  
Yi Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Resistance ◽  
Insulin Sensitivity ◽  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Vehicle Group ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Euglycemic Hyperinsulinemic Clamp ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Metabolic Functions

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a reproductive and metabolic disorder associated with obesity and insulin resistance that often precedes the development of type-2 diabetes. Rats continuously exposed to dihydrotestosterone from prepuberty display typical reproductive and metabolic PCOS characteristics including anovulation, polycystic ovaries, insulin resistance, and obesity. Our aim was to investigate if resveratrol improves reproductive and metabolic functions in PCOS rats. The effect was compared to exercise. Control and PCOS rats were treated with vehicle or resveratrol (400 mg · kg−1 · day−1) for 5-6 weeks. Another group of PCOS rats received vehicle treatment and exercised for 5-6 weeks. Insulin sensitivity was determined by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. The glucose infusion rate was lower in the PCOS-vehicle group compared to control-vehicle rats (P<0.05). Exercise increased insulin sensitivity compared with PCOS-vehicle rats (P<0.05), but resveratrol did not. Resveratrol treatment and exercise resulted in smaller adipocytes, upregulated estrogen-related receptorαgene expression in subcutaneous fat, and improved estrus cyclicity in the previously acyclic PCOS rats. Although resveratrol had positive effects on adiposity and cyclicity in a similar manner to exercise, resveratrol does not seem to be a good candidate for treating insulin resistance associated with PCOS because no improvement in insulin sensitivity was observed in PCOS rats on normal chow.

scholarly journals Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibition as a Potential New Therapeutic Target in Obese Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

2014 ◽  
Vol 99 (8) ◽  
pp. E1476-E1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojca Jensterle ◽  
Tomaz Kocjan ◽  
Andrej Janez
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Pde4 Inhibitor ◽  
Model Assessment ◽  
Obese Women ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Anthropometric Measures ◽  
Positive Effects

Context: Phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes, including members of PDE4, have been investigated in the regulation of endocrine and reproductive functions of ovaries. In addition, selective inhibition of PDE4 enzyme has recently been implicated in the regulation of metabolism with positive effects on glucose homeostasis and weight reduction. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the PDE4 inhibitor roflumilast affects body weight and hormonal and metabolic status in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Design/Participants/Main Outcome Measures: A 12-week prospective randomized open-label study was conducted with 36 obese women with PCOS diagnosed by the National Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development criteria that had been pretreated with metformin (MET). They were randomized to MET 1000 mg twice a day or combined treatment (COM) with MET 1000 mg twice a day and roflumilast 500 μg every day. The primary outcome was change in anthropometric measures of obesity. Results: Thirty-one patients (aged 33.8 ± 7.4 y, twice a day 36.4 ± 5.1 kg/m2, mean ± SD) completed the study: 16 on MET and 15 on COM. Subjects treated with COM lost on average 4.2 ± 2.8 kg compared with a 0.9 ± 2.5 kg weight gain in the MET group (P = .025). Body mass index decreased for 1.6 ± 1.1 kg/m2 in COM arm compared with increase for 0.9 ± 2.4 kg/m2 in the MET arm (P = .046). Visceral adipose tissue area as assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry decreased from 136.7 ± 37.8 to 121.2 ± 36.2 cm2 in the COM arm compared with an increase from 155.3 ± 61.9 to 166.7 ± 67.2 cm2 in the MET arm (P = .02). From baseline to study end, both treatment interventions resulted in a significant reduction of androstenedione (P = .013), free T (P = .002), and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance score (P = .027) and a significant increase in SHBG (P = .024), although the between-treatment differences of the changes have not been statistically significant yet. Conclusion: Roflumilast added to metformin reduced body weight in obese women with PCOS, primarily due to a loss of fat mass.

A Double Blind Controlled Study of the Hormonal and Clinical Effects of Bromocriptine in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

1987 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-117
Author(s):  
JACQUES BUVAT ◽  
MICHELE BUVAT-HERBAUT ◽  
GERARD MARCOLIN ◽  
ANDRE RACADOT ◽  
JEAN CLAUDE FOURLINNIE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Clinical Effects ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Double Blind

scholarly journals The Treatment with Complementary and Alternative Traditional Chinese Medicine for Menstrual Disorders with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Yuehui Zhang ◽  
Xiaozhu Guo ◽  
Shuting Ma ◽  
Haoyue Ma ◽  
Hang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ◽  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
World Health ◽  
Menstrual Disorders ◽  
Ovary Syndrome ◽  
The World ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a frequent gynecological female endocrinopathy, characterized by chronic anovulation, hyperandrogenism, and insulin resistance (IR). Menstrual disorders are one of the main clinical manifestations of PCOS. Other symptoms include hirsutism and/acne. At present, the treatment of PCOS with irregular menstruation is mainly based on oral contraceptives, but there are some side effects and adverse reactions. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which has been widely used in clinical practice. Modern Western medicine is called “conventional medicine” or “orthodox medicine,” and the complementary and alternative medicine is called “unconventional medicine” or “unorthodox medicine.” CAM includes traditional medicine and folk therapy around the world. Around 65–80% of world health management business is classified into traditional medicine by the World Health Organization, which is used as alternative medicine in Western countries. In our country, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and other therapies are commonly used due to their significant efficacy and higher safety. Therefore, this review aims to summarize and evaluate the mechanisms and the effect of current complementary replacement therapy in the treatment of menstrual disorders caused by PCOS, so as to provide guidance for the following basic and clinical research.

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