Cataldo, N. A., Abbasi, F., McLaughlin, T. L., Lamendola, C., & Reaven, G. M. (2001). Improvement in insulin sensitivity followed by ovulation and pregnancy in a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome who was treated with rosiglitazone. Fertility and Sterility, 76(5), 1057-1059. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(01)02843-6
Cataldo NA, Abbasi F, McLaughlin TL, Lamendola C, Reaven GM. Improvement in insulin sensitivity followed by ovulation and pregnancy in a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome who was treated with rosiglitazone. Fertil Steril. 2001;76(5):1057-1059. doi:10.1016/s0015-0282(01)02843-6
Cataldo, Nicholas A., et al. "Improvement in insulin sensitivity followed by ovulation and pregnancy in a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome who was treated with rosiglitazone." Fertility and Sterility, vol. 76, no. 5, 2001, pp. 1057-1059.
For EndNote, Zotero or Mendeley:
Open access
Free to read
No reuse license
Free to read at the publisher (reported by Unpaywall and OpenAlex, not verified by RRM Academy)
One woman with PCOS ovulated and conceived on rosiglitazone
A woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS, also called PMOS) ovulated and got pregnant after five months on rosiglitazone. This 2001 case report followed one 25-year-old. Her body used insulin better, her free testosterone fell, and she had a healthy girl.
Key Findings
The woman was 25. Her cycles had been irregular since age 10, she had facial hirsutism, and testing put her close to the top decile of insulin resistance.
After five months of rosiglitazone, a repeat insulin-suppression test showed improved insulin-mediated glucose disposal despite modest weight gain.
Serum free testosterone declined 20%. She had spontaneous menses three times after starting, and her progesterone rose after treatment.
A urine pregnancy test turned positive on December 7 and rosiglitazone was stopped. Ultrasound showed cardiac activity at 8 weeks 5 days, and she still had fetal cardiac activity at 16 weeks.
A note added in proof says she gave birth to a healthy 3175-g girl on July 31, 2001.
Interpretation
This case report follows one 25-year-old woman with PCOS, also called PMOS. Her ovulation and pregnancy followed rosiglitazone treatment. PMOS, the newer name for PCOS, stands for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome. The authors note that PCOS is heterogeneous and call for a clinical trial to learn how often this response occurs. She had spotting and a small fluid pocket beneath the membrane around the fetus, and later scans showed appropriate fetal growth. She took the drug for a nonapproved use, with her consent.
RRM Context
Restorative reproductive medicine asks why ovulation is missing. The authors link it here to insulin resistance, which often goes with PCOS. Ovulation returned on its own, without drugs to induce it.
Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.
Abstract
Objective
To determine the metabolic and reproductive effectiveness of rosiglitazone in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Design
Case report.
Setting
Academic clinical practice and General Clinical Research Center.
Patients
A 25-year-old woman with PCOS.
Interventions
Rosiglitazone maleate, 4 mg daily for 5 months until conception.
Main Outcome Measures
Insulin sensitivity by steady-state plasma glucose technique; serum androgens, progesterone, and hCG; and pelvic ultrasound images.
Results
Rosiglitazone treatment for 5 months improved insulin sensitivity, lowered serum free testosterone, and resulted in spontaneous ovulation and conception.
Conclusions
Rosiglitazone is a promising insulin sensitizer for treatment of PCOS. Clinical trials are warranted.
