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Polycystic ovary syndrome - Management
Should I prescribe an insulin-sensitizing drug?
- Do not initiate treatment with insulin-sensitizing drugs in primary care.
- Insulin-sensitizing drugs may be initiated by a specialist.
- Insulin-sensitizing drugs are not licensed in the UK for the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome, and the woman should be counselled before beginning treatment.
- There is no consensus on which women should be referred for consideration of insulin-sensitizing drugs. Some CKS expert reviewers recommend referring women with:
- Severe oligomenorrhoea or amenorrhoea.
- Impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose.
- Hirsutism.
- Low sex hormone-binding globulin levels (as this is a surrogate marker for insulin resistance).
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