Drugs for malaria may help treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a major health problem that affects millions of women worldwide, a pilot study from China suggests.
Nineteen women with PCOS took dihydroartemisinin, which belongs to a class of drugs called artemisinins, for 12 weeks. The treatment led to “considerable improvements” without side effects, researchers reported on Thursday in Science.
In PCOS, elevated levels of the male hormone androgen can lead to excessive hair growth, acne, irregular menstrual cycles, fertility problems, and ovarian cysts. Longer term health impacts of the condition include obesity, recurrent miscarriages, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and mental health problems.
The condition affects about 7% to 10% of women of childbearing age and is the most common cause of infertility. In the United States, an estimated 5 million to 6 million women have PCOS.
Artemisinins suppress ovarian production of androgen, researchers said.
The discovery of artemisinins as potentially effective remedies for PCOS “represents a promising new approach… that will potentially change the landscape of PCOS treatment,” Elisabet Stener-Victorin of Karolinska Institute in Stockholm wrote in a related Perspective article.
