Does a combination of metformin with myoinositol and d-chiro-inositol offer superior benefits compared to metformin monotherapy in women with PCOS?
Myo-Inositol, a randomized controlled trial (Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2023, PMID 37265016) — menstrual cycle regularity improved in both groups, with significantly greater improvement in the myoinositol combination group (p <.001). Adding myoinositol to metformin improves menstrual regularity and quality of life in women with PCOS more than metformin alone, but other hormonal and metabolic markers are not significantly different.
Source: Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2023, PMID 37265016 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: high
Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) · 2023 · PMID 37265016 · DOI 10.1111/cen.14931
Adding myoinositol to metformin improves menstrual regularity and quality of life in women with PCOS more than metformin alone, but other hormonal and metabolic markers are not significantly different.
The question
Does a combination of metformin with myoinositol and d-chiro-inositol offer superior benefits compared to metformin monotherapy in women with PCOS?
What they tested
The study implicitly hypothesizes that the combination therapy will exert more beneficial effects in PCOS due to the insulin-sensitizing properties of myoinositol and d-chiro-inositol.
How they did it
This was a 6-month randomized controlled trial involving overweight and obese women with PCOS aged 18-35. Participants were randomized into two groups: 27 received metformin monotherapy, and 26 received metformin with myoinositol and d-chiro-inositol. Various parameters including menstrual cycle duration, anthropometric measures, hormonal profiles, metabolic markers, and quality of life scores were assessed at baseline and after 6 months.
What they found
Menstrual cycle regularity improved in both groups, with significantly greater improvement in the myoinositol combination group (p < .001). The PCOS Questionnaire (PCOSQ) score also showed significant improvement in the myoinositol-based therapy group (p < .001). Pregnancy rates were similar between both groups, and no statistically significant differences were observed in other hormonal or metabolic parameters.
| Menstrual Cycle Regularity (Myoinositol group) | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| PCOSQ Score (Myoinositol group) | 1 |
The chart illustrates that the myoinositol combination group showed significant improvement in menstrual cycle regularity and PCOSQ score compared to the metformin monotherapy group. A value of 1 indicates significant improvement (p < .001).
What it means
Adding myoinositol to metformin provides additional benefits in improving menstrual cycle regularity and quality of life for women with PCOS.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | A randomized controlled trial comparing myoinositol with metformin versus metformin monotherapy in PCOS |
|---|---|
| Journal | Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) |
| Year | 2023 |
| PMID | 37265016 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1111/cen.14931 ↗ |
| Topic | General aging biology & healthspan |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
Where Magellan uses this paper
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Myo-Inositol
In randomized trials and meta-analyses, myo-inositol (often combined with D-chiro-inositol) has been associated with improved insulin sensitivity—lower fasting insulin and HOMA-IR—restoration of menstrual regularity and ovulation in PCOS, and a reduced incidence of gestational diabetes (a Cochrane review found…
Myo-inositol is a naturally occurring sugar-like compound (a cyclitol, the most abundant of nine…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Does a combination of metformin with myoinositol and d-chiro-inositol offer superior benefits compared to metformin monotherapy in women with PCOS? [Plain-English summary of Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2023, PMID 37265016, DOI 10.1111/cen.14931]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d37265016.html@misc{magellan_d37265016,
title = {Does a combination of metformin with myoinositol and d-chiro-inositol offer superior benefits compared to metformin monotherapy in women with PCOS?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d37265016.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 37265016; DOI 10.1111/cen.14931; Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2023. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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