{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,10]],"date-time":"2026-08-10T11:57:53Z","timestamp":1786363073533,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":["eje.bioscientifica.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Eur J Endocrinol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2002,8,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>OBJECTIVE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive disorder characterised by insulin resistance and often associated with hirsutism. Insulin sensitising agents, such as metformin, improve both the biochemical and reproductive parameters; however, no study has been designed to specifically assess the effect of metformin on hair growth. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: Sixteen women with PCOS and hirsutism were enrolled into a 14 month (two 6 month phases with a 2 month washout) double-blind placebo-controlled cross over study. MEASUREMENTS: Hirsutism was assessed using the Ferriman and Gallwey (F-G) score, patient self-assessment and growth velocity. Weight, height and waist-hip ratio were recorded. Gonadotrophins, androgens, plasma glucose and lipids were also measured. RESULTS: Ten women completed the full 14 month study. There was a significant improvement in hirsutism at the end of the metformin phase compared with placebo: F-G score 15.8+\/-1.4 vs 17.5+\/-1.2 (P=0.025) and patient self-assessment 2.4+\/-0.1 vs 3.3+\/-0.3 (P=0.014). Growth velocity, in millimetres per day at the end of each phase also improved (0.67+\/-0.17 vs 0.77+\/-0.11; P=0.03). There was a non-significant improvement in both sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and free androgen index (FAI), although there was a significant difference between baseline and metformin treatment for SHBG (P=0.023) and FAI (P=0.036). Metformin treatment also reduced weight significantly (91.5+\/-7.6 vs 94.0+\/-9.8 kg; P=0.009) and led to a significant improvement in cycle frequency (0.53+\/-0.12 vs 0.35+\/-0.08 cycles per month; P=0.008). CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that metformin treatment in a group of women with PCOS results in a clinically and statistically significant improvement in hair growth compared with placebo.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1530\/eje.0.1470217","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,1,24]],"date-time":"2005-01-24T21:34:41Z","timestamp":1106602481000},"page":"217-221","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/crossmarkpolicy-1","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":63,"title":["The effect of metformin on hirsutism in polycystic ovary syndrome"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"147","author":[{"given":"CJ","family":"Kelly","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"D","family":"Gordon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","container-title":["European Journal of Endocrinology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/147\/2\/217.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/eje.bioscientifica.com\/view\/journals\/eje\/147\/2\/217.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,14]],"date-time":"2023-02-14T16:31:23Z","timestamp":1676392283000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/ejendo\/article\/147\/2\/217\/6754583"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2002,8,1]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1530\/eje.0.1470217","relation":{},"ISSN":["0804-4643","1479-683X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0804-4643","type":"print"},{"value":"1479-683X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2002,8,1]]}}}