A bitter pill to swallow: adjustments to oral contraceptive pill use in polycystic ovary syndrome
Calcagno M. Serra P. Etrusco A. Margioula-Siarkou C. Terzic S. Giannini A. Garzon S. Ferrari F. Dellino M. Laganà A.S.
2024Taylor and Francis Ltd.
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy
2024#25Issue 91137 - 1143 pp.
Introduction: This Special Report aims to highlight the importance of tailored therapies in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), avoiding prescribing generalized or unsuitable therapies based on oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Areas covered: This article discusses the benefits and risks of OCP-based therapy, highlighting the possible undesirable effects, especially in those patients exhibiting risk factors as women with PCOS, and the importance of carefully evaluated tailored therapeutic approaches. Literature searches were performed with the use of PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science between January and February 2024. Expert opinion: Considering the recent re-analysis of PCOS Rotterdam Criteria by the Expert Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research, and on PCOS (EGOI-PCOS), the traditional Rotterdam phenotypes can be reclassified to achieve more efficacious therapy choices. Using personalized therapies that consider the specific clinical characteristics of the patient allows to improve the management of the syndrome, thus avoiding the generalized use of OCPs, which risk treating only symptoms of PCOS rather than the underlying cause. In cases when contraceptive purpose is desired, patients may benefit from combined therapy with diet or insulin-sensitizer agents, as inositol, to rebalance the metabolic profile, thus reducing the risk of developing future complications.
diagnosis , inositol , metabolic alterations , Oral contraceptive pills , phenotypes , polycystic ovary syndrome , tailored therapies
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Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santo Spirito Hospital, Rome, Italy
Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Paolo Giaccone” Hospital, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Gynecology Division, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sant’Andrea University Hospital, Rome, Italy
Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Surgery, Dentistry, Pediatrics, and Gynecology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
1st Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Bari, Italy
The Experts Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research, and on PCOS, Rome, Italy
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Medicine
Department of Maternal and Child Health and Urological Sciences
Gynecology Division
Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences
1st Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology
The Experts Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research
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