For women with PCOS, metformin lowers the male hormone testosterone — but only in those with PCOS, not in other obese women — showing it targets the root cause of symptoms like facial hair.

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Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Effect of Long-Term Treatment with Metformin Added to Hypocaloric Diet on Body Composition, Fat Distribution, and Androgen and Insulin Levels in Abdominally Obese Women with and without the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2000 Aug

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Effect of Long-Term Treatment with Metformin Added to Hypocaloric Diet on Body Composition, Fat Distribution, and Androgen and Insulin Levels in Abdominally Obese Women with and without the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Score: 48

DOI: 10.1210/JCEM.85.8.6738

Similar Assertions

Even women without PCOS who are obese and take metformin with a diet lose weight and belly fat, and their SHBG (a hormone that binds male hormones) goes up — but their male hormone levels don’t drop like in women with PCOS.

85%

Metformin lowers leptin — the ‘satiety hormone’ — in obese women, even when they lose the same amount of weight as those not taking it, meaning it might directly affect how the body regulates hunger.

80%

For obese women with PCOS, taking metformin along with a low-calorie diet helps them lose more weight, shrink belly fat, lower male hormone levels, and get more regular periods than just dieting alone.

76%