ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT01427595Updated Jan 8, 2021Results posted

Effect of Metformin on Sensitivity of the GnRH Pulse Generator to Suppression by Estradiol and Progesterone

An interventional study of Metformin and Progesterone in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Hyperandrogenism, sponsored by University of Virginia. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to female participants aged 10 Years to 17 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-01-08.

Sponsored by University of Virginia · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 2 years 6 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Feb 2009, registered Aug 2011).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
25
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
10 Years to 17 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

Many, but not all, girls with high levels of the male hormone testosterone go on to develop polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as adults. Women with PCOS often have irregular menstrual periods, excess facial and body hair, and weight gain. PCOS is also a leading cause of difficulty becoming pregnant. The investigators do not understand why some girls with high hormones develop PCOS and others do not. In a previous study by our group, some girls with high levels of male hormones had abnormalities in the secretion of another hormone, called luteinizing hormone (LH), that are often seen in women with PCOS. However, another group had normal LH secretion. The girls with the abnormal LH secretion had higher levels of another hormone, called insulin, than the girls with normal LH secretion. The investigators will test whether metformin, an insulin-sensitizing agent, changes the effects of high male hormone levels in adolescent girls, specifically by looking at their LH secretion response following metformin treatment.

Read the detailed description

A better understanding of the factors that make adolescent girls more or less susceptible to the adverse neuroendocrine effects of elevated androgens will hopefully lead to improved prevention and treatment strategies for PCOS. In this study, we propose to explore the role of hyperinsulinemia on neuroendocrine function in hyperandrogenic adolescent girls by assessing the effect of the insulin sensitizer Metformin on hypothalamic progesterone sensitivity. Other differences between the progesterone sensitive and progesterone insensitive subgroups, including racial and ethnic differences between the two populations and a trend towards older gynecologic age in the progesterone insensitive population, are being pursued through other ongoing studies (IRB-HSR# 8588 and 12160).

02

Conditions studied

  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
  • Hyperandrogenism

Keywords

  • hyperandrogenemia
03

In context

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

956 studies on the registry are indexed under Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; 176 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 25 is below the median of 70 across 697 interventional studies indexed under Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Browse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Virginia is the lead sponsor of 675 studies on the registry; 138 are open to participants now.

Of its 61 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 42 (69%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
10 Years to 17 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Girls ages 10 to 17
  • Hyperandrogenemic (free testosterone greater than 2.5 standard deviations above the mean for normal control subjects of the same Tanner Stage)
  • > 90 ml/min as calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation
  • > 12 mg/dL or Hematocrit > 36%
  • Normal screening labs (with exception of the expected hormonal abnormalities inherent in hyperandrogenemia)
  • Sexually active subjects must agree to abstain or use double barrier during the study
  • Subjects must agree not to take any other medications during the course of the study without approval by the study investigators.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Abnormal screening labs (with the exception of the expected hormonal abnormalities inherent in hyperandrogenemia)
  • less than 90 ml/min as calculated by Cockcroft-Gault equation
  • \<12 mg/dL or hematocrit \< 36%
  • Abnormal liver function tests, including (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), , Albumin, and Alkaline Phosphatase
  • Weight \< 34 kg
  • History of renal dysfunction, liver dysfunction, congestive heart failure, deep venous thrombosis, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, or cervical cancer
  • Pregnant or breast feeding
  • On medications known to affect the reproductive axis within 3 months of the study (including oral pills, metformin, and spironolactone)
  • Are currently participating in another study or have been in one in the last 30 days.
  • Subjects using restricted medication (see restrictions below) are excluded unless the subject's primary care provider approves stopping the medication.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(5)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Creatinine clearance (CrCl)

How quickly the kidneys clear creatinine, a waste product, from the blood. A study may estimate it from a blood test with age, weight and sex (often by the Cockcroft–Gault formula), or measure it using blood and urine collected over a set time. Given in mL/min; higher is better.

Hemoglobin (Hb)

The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. A low level is anaemia, which can cause tiredness and breathlessness. Measured in g/dL or g/L (9 g/dL is 90 g/L).

Contraception

Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.

Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.

ALT and AST (liver enzymes)

Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.

Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.

Bilirubin

A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.

Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
25 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Metformin, progesterone , estrace

    12 weeks Metformin oral progesterone suspension (20 mg/ml, 25-100 mg) three times a day at 0700, 1500, and 2300 hr for seven days (2X) oral estrace, 0.5-1 mg once a day for seven days (2X)

    Drug: Metformin · Drug: Progesterone · Drug: estrace

Interventions

  • 500-2000 mg PO BID (X12 weeks)

  • oral progesterone suspension (20 mg/ml, 25-100 mg) three times a day at 0700, 1500, and 2300 hr for seven days (X2)

  • oral estrogen (estrace, 0.5-1 mg once a day for seven days)- X2

    Also known as: Estrogen

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Progesterone Sensitivity Index Before and After Metformin Treatment.

    The progesterone (P4) sensitivity index is defined as the percent change in 11-hour LH pulse frequency before and after P4 and estradiol administration for 7 days, divided by the day 7 mean serum P4 concentration. We compared the P4 sensitivity index after metformin administration to the baseline P4 sensitivity index, using Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

    Time frame: 12 weeks following start of metformin treatment

07

Results

Posted Jan 8, 2021

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneMetformin, Progesterone , Estrace
Started25
Completed12
Not completed13

Outcome measures

PrimaryChange in Progesterone Sensitivity Index Before and After Metformin Treatment.

The progesterone (P4) sensitivity index is defined as the percent change in 11-hour LH pulse frequency before and after P4 and estradiol administration for 7 days, divided by the day 7 mean serum P4 concentration. We compared the P4 sensitivity index after metformin administration to the baseline P4 sensitivity index, using Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Time frame:
12 weeks following start of metformin treatment
Reported as:
Mean · % change in LH pulses/day 7 P4 level
Change in Progesterone Sensitivity Index Before and After Metformin Treatment.
% change in LH pulses/day 7 P4 levelMetformin, Progesterone , Estrace
Before Metformin-4.12 ± 2.39
After Metformin-4.29 ± 7.66

Adverse events

Collected over From start of study procedures until 30 days post study drug.. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Metformin, Progesterone , Estrace0/25 (0%)0/25 (0%)12/25 (48%)
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 12
Most frequent other events
EventMetformin, Progesterone , Estrace
UTIInfections and infestations3/25
nauseaGeneral disorders2/25
diarrheaGastrointestinal disorders2/25
Vision switched from near to farsightedEye disorders1/25
SVTCardiac disorders1/25
InfectionInfections and infestations1/25
headacheGeneral disorders1/25
faintingGeneral disorders1/25
Acute GastroenteritisGastrointestinal disorders1/25
heartburnGeneral disorders1/25

Baseline characteristics

25 subjects enrolled and 12 completed the study. Only 10 subjects were included in the formal analysis.

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Metformin, Progesterone , Estrace
<=18 years10
Between 18 and 65 years0
>=65 years0
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Metformin, Progesterone , Estrace
Mean15.3 ± 1.2
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Metformin, Progesterone , Estrace
Female10
Male0
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)Metformin, Progesterone , Estrace
American Indian or Alaska Native0
Asian0
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0
Black or African American0
White8
More than one race2
Unknown or Not Reported0
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Metformin, Progesterone , Estrace
United States10
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Center for Research in Reproduction, University of Virginia
    Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, United States
09

References and documents

Publications

  • Lundgren JA, Kim SH, Burt Solorzano CM, McCartney CR, Marshall JC. Progesterone Suppression of Luteinizing Hormone Pulse Frequency in Adolescent Girls With Hyperandrogenism: Effects of Metformin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018 Jan 1;103(1):263-270. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-02068. PubMed 29095983 ↗

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

10

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jan 8, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01427595
Responsible party
Christine Burt Solorzano (Center for Research in Reproduction, University of Virginia) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 1, 2011
Start date
Feb 18, 2009
Primary completion
Jan 17, 2015
Completion
Jan 17, 2015
Results posted
Jan 8, 2021
Last update
Jan 8, 2021

Study contacts

John C. Marshall, MD, PhD
principal investigator · University of Virginia

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Studies of the drugs tested here: Metformin · Progesterone

Start the discussion