For years, doctors have known that women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Now, new research has discovered a possible treatment to help reduce that risk: taking birth control pills.
Researchers analyzed patient records of 64,051 women in the UK with PCOS AND type 2 diabetes.
For the study, which was published in the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Care journal in October. The researchers analyzed the patient records of 64,051 women in the UK with PCOS and 123,545 women without PCOS.
The researchers first looked at the risk of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in women. And they found that those with PCOS were twice as likely to have prediabetes. A precursor to diabetes, or type 2 diabetes than those without PCOS.
The researchers also found that hirsutism, or excessive hair growth in women with PCOS, was a major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.
In a second studyThe researchers analyzed data from 4,814 women with PCOS and found the use of combined oral contraceptives. How the pill reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in women with PCOS by 26%.
“We knew from earlier, smaller studies that women with PCOS have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.” Co-lead author Wiebke Arlt, MD, director of the Research Institute for Metabolism and Systems at the University of Birmingham, said in a press release. “However, what is important about our research is that we have been able to provide new evidence from a very large population-based study. This, to demonstrate for the first time that we have a potential treatment option – combined oral contraceptives – to prevent this serious health risk ”.
The study authors now plan to conduct a clinical trial to strengthen their findings.
Why is there a link between PCOS and type 2 diabetes?
While this particular study did not explore the connection, the researchers did mention that women with PCOS often struggle with weight gain. Which is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Women with PCOS are also less responsive to insulin. The hormone that helps your body absorb glucose into cells, where it is used for energy. That can lead to high blood glucose levels and the body to make more insulin. This causes the body to produce more androgens, which can make polycystic ovary syndrome and diabetes worse.
“Women with PCOS are often overweight or have a hard time losing weight.” Female health expert Jennifer Wider, MD, tells Verywell. “But the cells of a person with PCOS also tend to be less responsive to insulin or are insulin resistant. This means that although their bodies can produce insulin, they cannot use it effectively and, as a result, they have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. ‘
The new study found that women at risk with PCOS who were not overweight still faced an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
How can the pill help?
The pill “can help decrease the amount of androgens that float in the body.” Tells Verywell Christine Greves, MD, a board certified OB-GYN at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies. Specifically, it causes an increase in estrogen and sex hormone-binding globulin, which “binds to floating androgens,” says Greves.
“As a result, the androgen level goes down and so does the insulin level,” says Wider.
Research on the impact of birth control pills on the risk of type 2 diabetes in people with PCOS is still fairly new, and more studies are needed before doctors will definitely recommend this to patients to reduce their risk of diabetes, Greves says. .
However, he adds, the pill is often prescribed to help treat polycystic ovary syndrome patients.
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