Medical News Summary: PCOS may be improved by the diet drug Xenical

About: PCOS may be improved by the diet drug Xenical
Date: 4 February 2005
Source: WebMD Health
Author: Miranda Hitti
Medical News Summary (summary of medical news story as reported by WebMD Health): Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 5-10% of 20-40 year old women. It is caused by a hormonal imbalance which causes infertility due to ovulation abnormalities. Symptoms include irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain, acne, hirsutism and insulin resistance. There is no known cause or treatment for the condition but treatment can improve symptoms and inhibit the development of complications such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, endometrial cancer and breast cancer. 10-50% of PCOS sufferers are obese and weight loss can improve the condition. Other treatment involves exercise and the drug Metformin which improves insulin efficiency. In a trial comparing the beneficial effects of Xenical to Metformin, researchers found that subjects using Xenical had a 4.7% weight loss compared to 1.02% in Metformin. Side effects of Metformin included mild nausea, heartburn and mild abdominal pain which all disappeared after one month. Xenical side effects included moderate flatulence and oily stools occasionally. Further study needs to be done to further investigate the benefits of various drugs on PCOS.
URL: http://my.webmd.com/content/article/100/105677.htm
Related Disease Topics: Polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, Hormonal imbalance, Type 2 diabetes, Heart disease, Endometrial cancer, Breast cancer, Obesity, Overweight
Related Symptom Topics: Infertility, ovulation abnormality, irregular menstrual cycles, weight gain, acne, hirsutism, insulin resistance

Related Medical News Channels: This medical news summary article refers to the following medical channel categories:

Cancer
Exercise
Diet
Research
research and polycystic ovary syndrome
research and PCOS
Research and hormonal imbalance
research and type 2 diabetes
research and heart disease
research and endometrial cancer
research and breast cancer
research and obesity
research and overweight
research and infertility
Research and ovulation abnormality
Research and irregular menstrual cycles
Research and weight gain
research and acne
research and hirsutism
research and insulin resistance
medication and polycystic ovary syndrome
medication and PCOS
Medication and hormonal imbalance
medication and type 2 diabetes
medication and heart disease
medication and endometrial cancer
medication and breast cancer
medication and obesity
medication and overweight
medication and infertility
Medication and ovulation abnormality
Medication and irregular menstrual cycles
medication and weight gain
medication and acne
medication and hirsutism
medication and insulin resistance
Research
Medication
cause of polycystic ovary syndrome
cause of PCOS
Cause of hormonal imbalance
cause of type 2 diabetes
cause of heart disease
cause of endometrial cancer
cause of breast cancer
cause of obesity
cause of overweight
cause of infertility
Cause of ovulation abnormality
Cause of irregular menstrual cycles
cause of weight gain
cause of acne
cause of hirsutism
cause of insulin resistance

Medical Tools & Articles:

Next articles:

Medical Articles: