Women suffering from PCOS can find renewed optimism in GLP-1 receptor agonists. These drugs might notably alleviate many of the most bothersome symptoms associated with this prevalent hormonal condition. This latest advance comes as clinical trials and heartbreaking accounts from patients increasingly demonstrate the potential of medications such as semaglutide. These treatments can work wonders to address weight loss, menstrual irregularities, and other health challenges associated with PCOS.
27-year-old Grace Hamilton’s life was turned upside down after being diagnosed with PCOS. She fights against extreme hair loss, debilitating and irregular periods, mental health issues, and has an impossible time trying to lose weight. As Hamilton stated, “My entire life has been an uphill battle just to get the care I need for my chronic disease. I’m done.” She began taking semaglutide eight months ago. Since then, she has lost more than 60 pounds and improved the quality of her life immensely.
Haley Sipes, another patient featured in the program, started taking GLP-1s and saw significant results in the first month. She experienced fewer food cravings, lowered inflammatory markers and joint pain. Sipes had noticed that her periods became less painful and more regular after starting the medication. “I’m just a better version of myself when I’m not controlled by food thoughts and hormonal issues that cause mood swings,” she remarked.
At 19, Nabeelah Karim got her PCOS diagnosis. From that point onward, she’s been all in on finding the best ways to manage symptoms with different treatments. After six months of using a compounded version of GLP-1s, she was continuing to lose weight. Her quality of life improved tremendously over that period as well. “It had solved all the problems that I had experienced for years up until that point,” Karim shared.
PCOS has long been known to affect an estimated 5 million women in the United States and is frequently characterized by insulin resistance. In fact, research shows that anywhere from 35% to 80% of patients with PCOS have this condition. GLP-1s such as semaglutide primarily function to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce appetite through various mechanisms. Dr. Melanie Cree, who is now leading a new clinical trial. She’s particularly interested in the injectable version of semaglutide for women with PCOS. Her preliminary data involves 11 subjects who completed a 10-month program. Remarkably, five of eight patients achieved both increased and normalized testosterone levels with their resultant data!
One of the questions was, what else besides insulin can we do to strengthen insulin sensitivity. This is reflected in Dr. Cree’s comments, highlighting the search that continues to find how GLP-1s can help women who suffer from this complex syndrome. By lowering testosterone levels, symptoms associated with testosterone excess, such as irregular periods, acne and excess body hair, can be alleviated. These problems are prevalent among those with PCOS.
Dr. Cree’s trial results are consistent with results from a large and recent survey. Our survey showed that 64% of women with PCOS using GLP-1s had improved menstrual cycle predictability. 20% noted shorter bleeding days. Dr. Kerry Krauss pointed out that patients with PCOS were shown to lose a greater amount of weight while on GLP-1s. This unexpected discovery only deepened the drug’s potential significance.
While the results have been encouraging for patients, experts warn that research on GLP-1s for PCOS is in its early stages. “There’s still a lot that’s very much unknown about PCOS and exactly how the disease kind of works,” Dr. Karen Tang noted. She pointed out all of the people who are physically active every single day and eat a nutritious meal. They continue to struggle with hormone imbalances and weight management issues.
Follow along with Hamilton, Sipes, and Karim on their journeys with GLP-1s. That’s why their stories are bringing attention to the urgent need for effective treatments for PCOS. Hamilton’s journey encapsulates the hopes of many: “If somebody would have been able to provide 11-year-old Grace with this drug, that would have saved me,” she reflected.