Active clinical trials for "Hyperandrogenism"

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 10% of all women, and it usually co-exists with high levels of sex hormones called androgens, such as testosterone. Women with PCOS are at increased risk of metabolic complications such as diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, high blood pressure and heart disease. However, very little is understood about how androgen excess may drive the metabolic complications observed in women with PCOS. Skeletal muscle is an important site of energy metabolism; increasingly, it is suspected that skeletal muscle energy balance is adversely impacted by androgens, thereby driving metabolic complications. To take this theory forward, we want to investigate the effects of androgens on muscle energy metabolism. We will perform detailed metabolic testing (including blood tests and muscle biopsies) in women with PCOS before and after taking tablets that block the action of testosterone for 28 days. In addition, we will be using a gold standard technique to see how women with PCOS metabolise fat and other nutrients by measuring markers in blood and breath samples after a breakfast test meal. This clinical research will increase our understanding of the complex relationships between hormonal abnormalities and metabolic disease in women with PCOS.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether sleep-wake changes of luteinizing hormone pulse frequency are different in early pubertal girls with high testosterone levels compared to early pubertal girls with normal testosterone levels.

The effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus supplementation on body weight, hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance in overweight and obesity women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome will be analysed.

The goal of this three-armed randomized controlled trial is to establish the relative roles of treatment of hyperandrogenism versus obesity (as the largest modifiable factor contributing to insulin resistance) in treating infertility and improving pregnancy outcomes among obese PCOS women. The investigators hypothesize that the key to restoring ovulation leading to live birth is to correct hyperandrogenism with oral contraceptive pills, but the key to avoiding later pregnancy complications is to improve insulin sensitivity with weight loss.

OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the beneficial effects of leuprolide depot, oral contraceptive therapy, and leuprolide/oral contraceptive therapy in the management of patients with ovarian hyperandrogenism.

AIMS To study the effects of the decrease in iron tissue depots after scheduled bloodletting on insulin sensitivity, carbohydrate metabolism, classic and non-classic cardiovascular risk factors in patients with functional hyperandrogenism (polycystic ovary syndrome & idiopathic hyperandrogenism) on standard treatment with combined oral contraceptives (COC) according to usual clinical practice. METHODOLOGY Open label, controlled, parallel, prospective study of 12 months of duration, with 2 randomized arms of follow-up: i) Intervention Group: Patients with functional hyperandrogenism on standard COC treatment randomly allocated to perform scheduled phlebotomies from the third month of treatment to the end of the study (3 times with a 3-month interval between them). ii) Control Group: Patients with functional hyperandrogenism on standard COC treatment randomly allocated to follow-up without bloodletting. The whole group of patients will undergo a comprehensive anthropometric and hormonal assessment, evaluation of classic cardiovascular risk factors (insulin sensitivity and carbohydrate metabolism after a standard oral glucose test- 75 g), lipid profile, ambulatory and office blood pressure monitoring, proinflammatory profile, oxidative stress status, autonomic function assessment, and iron-related metabolism parameters at baseline, after 3-month COC treatment and after reduction of iron tissue depots plus OC in the Intervention Group of patients, and throughout follow-up under treatment with COC in the Control Group of patients. If a significant relationship between circulating hepcidin levels and elevated ferritin concentrations is observed, a study of the potential influence of mutations/polymorphic variants of hepcidin gene on ferritin values will be performed as well.

The classic description of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is that it is a disorder characterized by menstrual irregularity, chronic anovulation, androgen excess, and abnormal gonadotropin secretion. Use of combined oral contraceptives (OCs) in women with PCOS effectively reduces circulating androgens. Although OCs are the most common and one of the oldest symptomatic treatment modalities for androgenic skin symptoms and for irregular menstrual cycles caused by hyperandrogenism, the data concerning the effect of treatment of PCOS women with different body mass index (BMI) are limited. This study is being done to compare the hormone and metabolic changes after treatment with low-dose oral birth control regimen of DRSP 3 mg/EE 0.02mg/levomefolate calcium 0.451 mg (Beyaz™) in women with PCOS with different body weights.

Cardiovascular risk factors cluster in hyperandrogenic women - including those presenting with the polycystic ovary syndrome - in association with insulin resistance, obesity, and other metabolic disorders. The present clinical trial intends to compare the effects of oral contraceptives and metformin on PCOS patients, focusing on classic and non-classic cardiovascular risk markers and indexes of cardiovascular performance, in order to whether or not, as suspected by previous data obtained in non-hyperandrogenic women, oral contraceptives worsen the cardiovascular risk profile of PCOS women, favoring the use of metformin if the latter actually ameliorates such a risk.

The purpose of this research study is to collect specimen samples and study medical information from women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and women without PCOS. The goal is to learn more about the changes that take place in the body that result in PCOS. We anticipate that 32 women will take part in this study (16 without PCOS and 16 with PCOS). All patients will undergo a physical exam, blood tests, and ultrasound of their ovaries. If they meet the criteria for this study, they will then undergo additional blood tests, removal of a small amount of subcutaneous abdominal fat, measurement of regional body fat (i.e., DXA scan) and a modified frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT). The women without PCOS will complete the study at this point. The women with PCOS will be randomized to receive the drug flutamide 125 mg/day or placebo. They will take the drug every day for six 28-day cycles. They will be asked to collect and store a urine sample once a week. They will also be asked to complete a pill diary and menstrual diary. Once a month while they are taking the flutamide/placebo, they will return to the clinic and bring their frozen urine samples. At that time they will undergo a physical exam, toxicity assessment, and blood draw. Quality of Life assessments will be done at the beginning of the study for all participants. Women with PCOS who are taking the flutamide or placebo will be asked to repeat the Quality of Life assessments during the study and at the end of the study. After the six 28-day cycles are completed they will then undergo additional blood tests, removal of a small amount of subcutaneous abdominal fat, measurement of regional body fat (i.e., DXA scan) and a modified frequently-sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIGTT). Six months following the completion of all study protocol procedures, participants who received flutamide/placebo will be contacted by phone to check on the status of their health. They will be asked if they have experienced any health problems or have become pregnant since they completed the study procedures.

The purpose of this study is to study the effect of a commonly used antibiotic, doxycycline, on the production of ovarian hormones and menstrual cycles in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).