Polycystic ovary syndrome and cardiovascular risk in young patients treated with drospirenone-ethinylestradiol or contraceptive vaginal ring. A prospective, randomized, pilot study

Objective: To compare the effects of a pill containing drospirenone with those of a combined contraceptive vaginal ring on the lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and on the surrogate markers of arterial function. Setting: Bologna University School of Medicine. Patient(s): Thirty-seven women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were randomly submitted to drospirenone + ethinylestradiol (group I; n = 19) or combined contraceptive vaginal ring (group II; n = 18) therapy. The duration of the study was 6 months. Intervention(s): The effect of treatments was assessed after 6 months of therapy. Main Outcome Measure(s): Utero-ovarian ultrasound analysis and color Doppler evaluation of uterine and stromal ovarian arteries. In addition, analysis of brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatation and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring were performed. Fasting blood samples were drawn for testing biochemical and hormonal parameters and nitrites/nitrates. Result(s): Both treatments improved hirsutism, hyperandrogenemia, and ultrasound and color Doppler ovarian parameters. Both drospirenone + ethinylestradiol or contraceptive vaginal ring induced a slight but significant increase of diurnal and 24-hour blood pressure. Although both therapies worsened the lipid profile, the oral pill administration was associated with a more evident increase of circulating triglycerides. The 6-month treatment with the vaginal ring significantly improved the area under the curve for glucose, insulin, and C-peptide, whereas the drospirenone + ethinylestradiol pill induced an increase in the insulinogenic index and homeostatic model assessment estimate for insulin resistance values. Conclusion(s): Vaginal hormonal contraception appears to be preferable to oral ethinylestradiol + drospirenone administration in hyperinsulinemic patients with PCOS.