Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by
Honey, you’re not alone in and neither the battle of the bulge, nor PCOS. A lot of women suffer from this condition and are almost always affected by weight gain. More than 80% of women with PCOS are overweight and many other women in this category have trouble losing weight and making it stick.
Losing weight with PCOS can seem like an impossible task. The truth is that having PCOS increases your risk of obesity and significantly increases your chances of developing other health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, if you do not meet a healthy weight or maintain a healthy weight loss. Though it may seem difficult to lose weight when you’re dealing with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) — especially if you’re among the 25 percent of women who don’t even know they have it — there are several medications that can help hormone issues that stop you from losing weight. After all, if you want to take control of your weight, then this is the way to go. Here is why: I’m going to talk about Medication For Weight Loss With PCOS, make sure you read this article.
Medication For Weight Loss With PCOS

Most women at some point have to contend with weight gain. But for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), losing weight can become a constant struggle.
PCOS is the most common hormonal disorder in women of childbearing age and can lead to issues with fertility. Women who have PCOS have higher levels of male hormones and are also less sensitive to insulin or are “insulin-resistant.” Many are overweight or obese. As a result, these women can be at a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, and uterine cancer.
If you have PCOS, certain lifestyle changes can help you shed pounds and reduce the disease’s severity.
Why does polycystic ovary syndrome cause weight gain?
PCOS makes it more difficult for the body to use the hormone insulin, which normally helps convert sugars and starches from foods into energy. This condition — called insulin resistance — can cause insulin and sugar — glucose — to build up in the bloodstream.
High insulin levels increase the production of male hormones called androgens. High androgen levels lead to symptoms such as body hair growth, acne, irregular periods — and weight gain. Because the weight gain is triggered by male hormones, it is typically in the abdomen. That is where men tend to carry weight. So, instead of having a pear shape, women with PCOS have more of an apple shape.
Abdominal fat is the most dangerous kind of fat. That’s because it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and other health conditions.
What are the risks associated with PCOS-related weight gain?

No matter what the cause, weight gain can be detrimental to your health. Women with PCOS are more likely to develop many of the problems associated with weight gain and insulin resistance, including:
- Type 2 diabetes
- High cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Sleep apnea
- Infertility
- Endometrial cancer
Many of these conditions can lead to heart disease.
Experts think weight gain also helps trigger PCOS symptoms, such as menstrual abnormalities and acne.
What can I do to lose weight if I have polycystic ovary syndrome?
Losing weight not only cuts your risk for many diseases, it can also make you feel better. When you have PCOS, shedding just 10% of your body weight can bring your periods back to normal. It can also help relieve some of the symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome.
Weight loss can improve insulin sensitivity. That will reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other PCOS complications.
To lose weight, start with a visit to your doctor. The doctor will weigh you and check your waist size and body mass index. Body mass index is also called BMI, and it is the ratio of your height to your weight.
Your doctor may also prescribe medication. Several medications are approved for PCOS, including birth control pills, anti-androgen medications and Metformin (Glucophage). The anti-androgen medications block the effects of male hormones. Metformin is a diabetes drug that helps the body use insulin more efficiently. It also reduces testosterone production. Some research has found that it can help obese women with PCOS lose weight.
In addition to taking medication, adding healthy habits into your lifestyle can help you keep your weight under control:
- Eat a high-fiber, low-sugar diet. Load up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid processed and fatty foods to keep your blood sugar levels in check. If you’re having trouble eating healthy on your own, talk to your doctor or a dietitian.
- Eat four to six small meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals. This will help control your blood sugar levels.
- Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day on most, if not all, days of the week.
- Work with your doctor to track your cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
- If you smoke, get involved in a program that can help you quit.
Drug Comparison

The British study compared Xenical with Metformin in 21 obese young women with PCOS. The women were about 27 years old. Their average body mass index (BMI) was almost 37; a BMI of 30 or higher is obese. The women were not taking other drugs, had never been pregnant, and weren’t trying to conceive.
First, the women had their weight and blood pressure recorded. Their blood was screened for cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and testosterone levels. Those tests were repeated before the drugs were randomly assigned and at the study’s end.
Next, the women started a weight maintenance diet.
Eight weeks later, 11 women were given 500 mg of Metformin three times daily for three months.
The other 10 women received 120 mg of Xenical three times daily before each meal, also for three months.
Xenical has not been proven to help PCOS, and it does not affect appetite. Taken before meals, it blocks dietary fat from being absorbed.
By the study’s end, the Xenical group had a 4.7% weight loss, compared with 1.02% for the Metformin group. Both groups had similar reductions in the level of the male hormone testosterone. Menstrual and ovulation changes weren’t monitored, due to the study’s size and short length.
“We know that Metformin is a proven and effective treatment for women with polycystic ovary syndrome,” says Andrea Dunaif, MD, in a news release. Dunaif is president-elect of The Endocrine Society and is a professor and chair of the endocrinology division at Northwestern University’s medical school in Chicago.
“This study suggests that weight loss medications may be an effective treatment option for not only the obesity but also the testosterone excess associated with PCOS. Further research is clearly warranted to determine where this class of medications will fit into the treatment of PCOS,” says Dunaif.
Neither drug significantly affected insulin levels after fasting nor any blood fats measured. Larger studies may yield more information on those topics, say the researchers.
Both drugs had some side effects. Four Metformin patients had mild nausea, two had heartburn, and one had mild abdominal pain. Those symptoms disappeared within four weeks, and no doses were reduced. Two women taking Xenical had mild to moderate flatulence and oily stools occasionally throughout the study.
Lifestyle changes
In overweight women, the symptoms and overall risk of developing long-term health problems from PCOS can be greatly improved by losing excess weight.
Weight loss of just 5% can lead to a significant improvement in PCOS.
You can find out whether you’re a healthy weight by calculating your body mass index (BMI), which is a measurement of your weight in relation to your height.
A normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. Use the BMI healthy weight calculator to work out whether your BMI is in the healthy range.
You can lose weight by exercising regularly and eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Your diet should include plenty of fruit and vegetables, (at least 5 portions a day), whole foods (such as wholemeal bread, wholegrain cereals and brown rice), lean meats, fish and chicken.
Your GP may be able to refer you to a dietitian if you need specific dietary advice.
Read more about losing weight, healthy eating and exercise.
Medicines
A number of medicines are available to treat different symptoms associated with PCOS.
These are described below.
Irregular or absent periods
The contraceptive pill may be recommended to induce regular periods, or periods may be induced using an intermittent course of progestogen tablets (which are usually given every 3 to 4 months, but can be given monthly).
This will also reduce the long-term risk of developing cancer of the womb lining (endometrial cancer) associated with not having regular periods.
Other hormonal methods of contraception, such as an intrauterine system (IUS), will also reduce this risk by keeping the womb lining thin, but they may not cause periods.
Fertility problems
With treatment, most women with PCOS are able to get pregnant.
The majority of women can be successfully treated with a short course of tablets taken at the beginning of each cycle for several cycles.
If these are not successful, you may be offered injections or IVF treatment. There’s an increased risk of a multiple pregnancy (rarely more than twins) with these treatments.
A medicine called clomifene is usually the first treatment recommended for women with PCOS who are trying to get pregnant.
Clomifene encourages the monthly release of an egg from the ovaries (ovulation).
If clomifene is unsuccessful in encouraging ovulation, another medicine called metformin may be recommended.
Metformin is often used to treat type 2 diabetes, but it can also lower insulin and blood sugar levels in women with PCOS.
As well as stimulating ovulation, encouraging regular monthly periods and lowering the risk of miscarriage, metformin can also have other long-term health benefits, such as lowering high cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Metformin is not licensed for treating PCOS in the UK, but because many women with PCOS have insulin resistance, it can be used “off-label” in certain circumstances to encourage fertility and control the symptoms of PCOS.
Possible side effects of metformin include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhoea and loss of appetite.
As metformin can stimulate fertility, if you’re considering using it for PCOS and not trying to get pregnant, make sure you use suitable contraception if you’re sexually active.
The National Institute for Health and Care and Excellence (NICE) has more information about the use of metformin for treating PCOS in women who are not trying to get pregnant, including a summary of the possible benefits and harms.
Letrozole is sometimes used to stimulate ovulation instead of clomifene. This medicine can also be used for treating breast cancer.
Use of letrozole for fertility treatment is “off-label”. This means that the medicine’s manufacturer has not applied for a licence for it to be used to treat PCOS.
In other words, although letrozole is licensed for treating breast cancer, it does not have a license for treating PCOS.
Doctors sometimes use an unlicensed medicine if they think it’s likely to be effective and the benefits of treatment outweigh any associated risks.
If you’re unable to get pregnant despite taking oral medicines, a different type of medicine called gonadotrophins may be recommended.
These are given by injection. There’s a higher risk that they may overstimulate your ovaries and lead to multiple pregnancies.
Unwanted hair growth and hair loss
Medicines to control excessive hair growth (hirsutism) and hair loss (alopecia) include:
- particular types of combined oral contraceptive tablets (such as co-cyprindiol, Dianette, Marvelon and Yasmin)
- cyproterone acetate
- spironolactone
- flutamide
- finasteride
These medicines work by blocking the effects of “male hormones”, such as testosterone, and some also suppress production of these hormones by the ovaries.
A cream called eflornithine can also be used to slow down the growth of unwanted facial hair.
This cream does not remove hair or cure unwanted facial hair, so you may wish to use it alongside a hair removal product.
Improvement may be seen 4 to 8 weeks after treatment with this medicine.
But eflornithine cream is not always available on the NHS because some local NHS authorities have decided it’s not effective enough to justify NHS prescription.
If you have unwanted hair growth, you may also want to remove the excess hair by using methods such as plucking, shaving, threading, creams or laser removal.
Laser removal of facial hair may be available on the NHS in some parts of the UK.
Other symptoms
Medicines can also be used to treat some of the other problems associated with PCOS, including:
- weight-loss medicine, such as orlistat, if you’re overweight
- cholesterol-lowering medicine (statins) if you have high levels of cholesterol in your blood
- acne treatments
Surgery
A minor surgical procedure called laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) may be a treatment option for fertility problems associated with PCOS that do not respond to medicine.
Under general anaesthetic, your doctor will make a small cut in your lower tummy and pass a long, thin microscope called a laparoscope through into your abdomen.
The ovaries will then be surgically treated using heat or a laser to destroy the tissue that’s producing androgens (male hormones).
LOD has been found to lower levels of testosterone and luteinising hormone (LH), and raise levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
This corrects your hormone imbalance and can restore the normal function of your ovaries.
Pregnancy risks
If you have PCOS, you have a higher risk of pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and miscarriage.
These risks are particularly high if you’re obese. If you’re overweight or obese, you can lower your risk by losing weight before trying for a baby.