Effect of Weight and Insulin Sensitivity on Reproductive Function in PCOS (PULSE)

March 3, 2022 updated by: Leanne Redman, Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive disorder in women of reproductive age and despite decades of research the etiology the disorder is not known. The characteristic hyperandrogenism and anovulation is associated with abnormal neuroendocrine function and insulin resistance. Obesity is a common correlated phenotype of Polycystic ovary syndrome and weight gain worsens the reproductive and metabolic complications. Currently there is no evidence-based treatment plan for infertility in Polycystic ovary syndrome; yet weight loss by dietary restriction and regular exercise are strongly advocated. Weight loss and increased insulin sensitivity appear to drive improvements in reproductive outcomes in women with Polycystic ovary syndrome; however, the mechanism connecting these changes with the reproductive axis is not fully understood.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The goal of this study is to determine (using dietary restriction, exercise training, metformin or no treatment), the effects of weight loss and/or improved insulin sensitivity on reproductive function (neuroendocrine and ovarian) in obese women with Polycystic ovary syndrome.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

32

Phase

  • Phase 3

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
    • Louisiana
      • Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 70808
        • Pennington Biomedical Research Center

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

20 years to 40 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 20 - 40 years, inclusive
  • Body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2
  • History of irregular menstrual cycles (fewer than 6 cycles in the past year)
  • Clinical and/or biochemical androgen excess (Free androgen index>3.85 and/or hirsuitism rating ≥8)
  • Anovulatory menstrual cycles (determined during screening)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Ovulatory menstrual cycles (determined during screening by luteal phase serum progesterone >3ng/mL)
  • History or clinical appearance of cardiovascular disease, diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2) and any other significant reproductive, metabolic, hematologic, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, neurologic, immune, hepatic, renal, urologic disorders, or cancer.
  • Hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cell count, or iron level below the lower limit of normal at the screening visit confirmed by a test repeated within two weeks
  • Regular use of medications for weight control, glucose intolerance, thyroid disease
  • Use of hormonal contraception containing medroxyprogesterone acetate (A 3 month washout period will be permitted for oral, vaginal and transdermal contraceptives).

Psychiatric and Behavioral Exclusion Criteria

  • Smoking
  • History of drug or alcohol abuse (up to 14 drinks a week are allowed) within the past two years
  • History or presence of an eating disorder as determined by Interview for Diagnosis of Eating Disorders (IDED-IV)
  • Beck Depression Index (BDI) score of ≥15 at screening or baseline

Other Exclusion Criteria

  • Individuals who have lost more than 5kg (11lbs) in the past 6 months
  • Individuals who are pregnant or breast-feeding or whom become pregnant during the study
  • Individuals engaged in a regular program of physical fitness involving some heavy physical activity (e.g., jogging or riding fast on a bicycle for 30 minutes or more) at least five times per week over the past year
  • Individuals who have metallic objects in their body
  • Individuals who donated blood within 30 days prior to the date of randomization
  • Individuals unwilling to be assigned at random to either one of the intervention groups
  • Unwilling or unable to adhere to the rigors of the data collection (determined by food and activities diaries at screening, see below) and clinical evaluation schedule over the entire 24 week intervention period
  • Individuals who plan to move out of the area within the next 12 months or plan to be out of the study area for more than 4 weeks in the next 12 months
  • Individuals who reside too far from Pennington

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: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Metformin
Subjects randomized to the metformin treatment group will receive 1000 mg extended release metformin hydrochloride tablets (Bristol Myers Squibb) twice per day with food approximately 8 hours apart.
Drug: Metformin
Subjects randomized to the metformin treatment group will receive 1000 mg extended release metformin hydrochloride tablets (Bristol Myers Squibb) twice per day with food approximately 8 hours apart.
Other Names:
  • metformin hydrochloride tablets
Experimental: Dietary Restriction
Subjects randomized to the dietary restriction group (DR) will reduce their energy intake by 25% from their weight maintenance energy intake determined at baseline by doubly labeled water.There will be no gradual ramping of dietary restriction. The 25% energy reduction goal will apply from the first day of the intervention for a period of 24 weeks. Subjects will be asked to not modify their normal level of physical activity.
Behavioral: Dietary Restriction
Subjects randomized to the dietary restriction group will reduce their energy intake by 25% of their weight maintenance energy intake determined at baseline. Total energy expenditure as measured by a 14-day doubly labeled water (DLW) study will be used to determine the baseline energy intake of each subject. There will be no gradual ramping of dietary restriction. The 25% energy reduction goal will apply from the first day of the intervention for a period of 24 weeks. Subjects will be asked to not modify their normal level of physical activity.
Other Names:
  • Calorie restriction
  • 25% DR
Experimental: Exercise
Subjects randomized to the exercise training group will complete a structured program of aerobic training 3 to 4 times per week and resistance exercises 2 times per week.
Behavioral: Exercise Training

For the aerobic training component, subjects are required to meet a weekly energy expenditure target of 10 kcal per kg of body weight per week (KKW).

The resistance training program will be performed 2 days a week. The resistance program includes 9 exercises. The 9 primary exercises are seated chest press, seated row, shoulder press, lat pull down, double leg press, leg extension, leg curl, back extension and abdominal crunch.

Other Names:
  • Aerobic and resistance training
No Intervention: Control
Subjects randomized to the no treatment control group will be asked to continue, as normal their usual dietary and exercise regimen. Subjects will be asked to not begin diet or exercise regimens through the 24-week study or to begin medical treatment for PCOS.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Pulse Frequency
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 24

Change in Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Pulse Frequency measured over a 12-hour period (7:00 PM - 7:00 AM).

The Mean and Standard Deviation (SD) are the number of pulses recorded on the 12-hour period (7:00 PM - 7:00 AM) and presented as the change from baseline to week 24.

Only participants who completed the PULSE trial are included in present outcome measure as the primary outcome was established as change from pre-to-post-intervention LF pulse frequency.
Baseline and Week 24

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Insulin Sensitivity Expressed as Glucose Disposal Rate (GDR)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 24

Change in insulin sensitivity measured by the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp.

Unit of measure established as glucose disposal rate (GDR) adjusted to account for kilograms of fat-free mass (FFM)+17.7 per minute to reflect the amount of exogenous glucose necessary to fully compensate for hyperinsulinemia and expressed as a function of metabolic body size.

Only participants who completed the PULSE trial are included in present outcome measure as the primary outcome was established as change from pre-to-post-intervention Insulin Sensitivity expressed as Glucose Disposal Rate.
Baseline and Week 24

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Collaborators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Leanne M Redman, PhD, Pennington Biomedical Research Center

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 (Actual)

May 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 28, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 28, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

November 30, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 15, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 3, 2022

Last Verified

March 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • PBRC11016
  • R00HD060762 (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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