A common diabetes drug prompts ovulation in some women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder that can make women infertile, as well as overweight and insulin-resistant (or "pre-diabetic"). Forty-two insulin-resistant PCOS patients were treated with Avandia (rosiglitazone), an insulin sensitizer, for 42 weeks. Not only did the drug allow more cells to properly receive insulin, but also more than half of the women ovulated--some within two weeks of starting the drug. Lead researcher Nicholas Cataldo, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., advocates only short-term use (three months or less) of Avandia in PCOS women with insulin and fertility troubles until more studies are done.
--C.P.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
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