Metabolic Study of Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Sleep Apnea

December 20, 2024 updated by: University of Chicago

PCOS, Sleep Apnea and Metabolic Risk in Women

The purpose of this study is to look at the metabolic (use of energy) and hormonal features of sleep problems in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The prevalence of obesity and chronic sleep loss are at record levels among Americans and evidence continues to emerge to support a causal link between the two conditions. Metabolic abnormalities related to sleep disruption are particularly evident in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder traditionally associated with male gender. While more prevalent in men, OSA is underrecognized in women in part because its clinical and polysomnographic features differ from those of men. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are particularly susceptible to OSA with at least a 5-fold higher risk for its development compared to obese women without PCOS. This study will enroll obese women with PCOS, with and without OSA. Those with OSA will be randomized to receive CPAP or to receive depot leuprolide to suppress ovarian steroid output over 12 weeks, reassessed at 6 weeks, and then randomized (double-blind, placebo controlled) to 6 weeks of either micronized estrogen + placebo or micronized progestin + placebo. The independent effects of androgen, estrogen, and progesterone on OSA and metabolic function will be assessed. In addition, primary human adipocytes will be prepared from fat biopsies obtained from subjects. Insulin sensitivity will be determined by phospho-specific immunoblotting in conjunction with glucose uptake and anti-lipolysis assays. In parallel, adipocytes from these subjects will be cultured for 1-5 days prior to metabolic assays to ascertain if removal of from circulating factors will improve insulin signaling, or if insulin resistance persists in vitro. Finally, there will be an interface with the Metabolomics Laboratory at Duke University (C. Newgard, Lab Director), and metabolomics assessment will be done on blood and urine samples.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

18

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637
        • University of Chicago Department of Medicine, Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 36 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Clinical diagnosis of PCOS
  • Obese (BMI of at least 30 kg/m2)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of nonclassic 21-hydroxylase deficiency, Cushing syndrome, hypothyroidism, or significant elevations in prolactin
  • Taking steroid preparations (including oral contraceptives), medications known to alter insulin secretion and/or action, or medications known to influence sleep during the 2 months prior to starting the study
  • Positive pregnancy test
  • Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus
  • Hypertension (systolic > 140 mmHg and/or diastolic > 90 mmhg) not well-controlled on stable medication with either ACE inhibitors or diuretics
  • Habitual alcohol use
  • Excessive caffeine intake of more than 300 mg/day
  • Known peanut allergies, or allergies to medications used in the study
  • Hemoglobin < 11g/dL and/or hematocrit < 33%
  • Systemic illnesses, including heart, renal, liver, or malignant disease

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Depot Lupron and estrogen plus placebo
Randomized to receive depot Lupron for 6 weeks. Then randomized again to receive estrogen plus placebo for another 6 weeks.
Drug: Depot Lupron followed by estrogen plus placebo
A single intramuscular dose of depot lupron (11.25 mg). Six weeks after injection, subjects will receive daily oral doses of estrogen (2mg) plus placebo for six weeks.
Other Names:
  • Arm 1

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Estrogen Levels
Time Frame: Baseline
Estrogen levels measured every 20 minutes for 24 hours and the the average of those values are presented. The units of measurement are picograms per milliter (pg/ml).
Baseline
Sleep Efficiency Measured at Baseline
Time Frame: Baseline
Sleep efficiency recorded with polysomnography minimum value = 0%, maximum value = 100%, higher values are a better outcome.
Baseline
Total Testosterone
Time Frame: Baseline
Total Testosterone levels measured every 20 minutes for 24 hours and the average of those values are presented. The units of measurement are picograms per milliter (pg/ml).
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Intravenous Glucose Tolerance Test
Time Frame: Baseline
Acute Insulin Response measured by the intravenous glucose tolerance test measured during baseline. The unit of measurement is mg/dl.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Chicago

Collaborators

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Duke University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: David A Ehrmann, MD, University of Chicago

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

December 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 9, 2008

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 9, 2008

First Posted (Estimated)

June 12, 2008

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 20, 2024

Last Verified

August 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 15872B
  • 1P50HD057796 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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