Eureka! Institutional Repository

The insulin resistance and the secondary hyperinsulinaemia affect almost the 65-70% of women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Hyperinsulinaemia is a common point of the metabolic syndrome and PCOS and it is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, especially women with PCOS have 5-10 times higher incidence of type 2 diabetes. Infertility is also a feature of women with PCOS and it is able to grow and by the presence of other factors such as reduced quality of ova, deficits in the development of the endometrium and implantation defects.The primary, however, goal of the treatment associated with PCOS infertility is still restoring ovulation (egg-laying). Metformin is the medicine which is used more often in type 2 diabetes, with primary activity the inhibition of hepatic glucose production and the enlargement of peripheral insulin sensitivity. Its use in PCOS is associated with improvement of menstruation circularity and ovulation (egg-laying) as well as it reduces level of androgens in circulation. Metabolic benefits are enhanced by the weight loss and the weight loss is also enhanced by the presence of metformin. Although most interrupt metformin once pregnancy diagnosis confirmed, it is not unusual for PCOS women to exposed to metformin during part or all of the period of embryogenesis. There have also been studies examining the efficacy of metformin in reducing miscarriages during the first quarter and the impact of gestational diabetes in women with PCOS. In this study it is attempted a thorough review of the literature on the use of meformin in the treatment of infertility associated with PCOS and the benefits of its use during pregnancy in women with PCOS.