Contraceptive pill 'can reduce diabetes risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome '
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at twice the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
But taking the contraceptive pill can reduce the risk by over a quarter, finds a new University of Birmingham-led study.
PCOS affects ten percent of women world-wide and has previously been associated with a number of other conditions, such as endometrial cancer, cardiovascular disease, and non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
The University of Birmingham-led team of scientists carried out two studies to firstly identify the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in women with PCOS, and secondly to investigate the impact of the use of combined oral contraceptives, often referred to as 'the pill ', on the risk of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in women with PCOS.
The pill is often given to women with PCOS to improve the regularity of menstrual bleeds.
Using UK patient GP records of 64,051 women with PCOS and 123,545 matched control women without PCOS, they first carried out a large population-based cohort study to analyse the risk of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes.
They found that women with PCOS were twice at risk of type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, compared to those without PCOS.
They also identified hirsutism (excessive hair growth) - a clinical sign of high androgen levels - as a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes among women with PCOS.
To investigate the impact of the pill on type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, the researchers - including experts at the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences - then carried out a further nested case control study of 4,814 women with PCOS.
The scientists found that use of combined oral contraceptives reduced the odds of developing type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in women with PCOS by 26 per cent.
The researchers behind the study are now planning to carry out a clinical trial to further evidence their findings in the hope it will lead to changes in global healthcare policy.
Co-senior author Professor Wiebke Arlt (pictured), director of the University of Birmingham 's Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, said: “We knew from previous, smaller studies, that women with PCOS have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
“However, what is important about our research is that we have been able to provide new evidence from a very large population-based study to show for the very first time that we have a potential treatment option - combined oral contraceptives - to prevent this very serious health risk. ”
The study was supported by funding from Health Data Research UK, Wellcome Trust, the Health Research Board, and the National Institute for Health Research Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre which is based at the University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
The research was also carried out in collaboration with the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, and McGill University in Canada.