Twenty women with the
polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO) were treated with a combination of
desogestrel and ethinylestradiol (EE) and the effects on
lipids and
lipoproteins were compared with those induced in a group of 13 regularly menstruating, healthy women. All women were examined before and after 3 months of treatment. Compared with the regularly menstruating women, the PCO women had significantly higher
body weights and blood pressure as well as elevated levels of
triglycerides in serum and VLDL. During treatment, 14 out of 20 women affected by PCO lost weight. No significant change in blood pressure was observed. In the PCO group, moderate increments were encountered in serum
cholesterol,
phospholipids and
triglycerides. No significant changes were seen in
LDL-cholesterol or
HDL-cholesterol. The ratio
LDL-cholesterol/
HDL-cholesterol did not alter. The level of total
cholesterol in VLDL rose during treatment. These changes in serum and
lipoprotein lipids in PCO patients were of the same type and magnitude as those found in the control group, apart from an increase in
HDL-cholesterol in the latter. The only remaining difference
after treatment was a slightly higher level of VLDL
triglycerides in the PCO women. Thus only moderate changes were induced in
lipid and
lipoprotein patterns by the combination of
desogestrel and EE. A "positive" influence on
lipids and
lipoproteins cannot be considered as a further advantage, added to the list of indications when hormonal treatment is used in PCO-affected women. The clinical implications of elevated
triglycerides remain to be clarified.