Tier 4 — mechanistic

The use of berberine for women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing IVF treatment

An Y, Sun Z, Zhang Y, Liu B, Guan Y, Lu M
Clinical endocrinology 2014 80(3):425-431

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 23869585
DOI
10.1111/cen.12294
Funding
Funding was not established from the accessible source; this is not a declaration of no funding.
Competing interests
A complete competing-interest declaration was not available in the accessible source; no absence of conflicts is inferred.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized controlled human trial
ModelHuman participants; see population
Sample150 women scheduled for IVF
InterventionBerberine, metformin or placebo before ovarian stimulation
Duration3 months before IVF
EndpointsIVF pregnancy and live birth; Ovarian hyperstimulation; Metabolic and hormonal measures

What the study showed, in plain terms

The trial reported metabolic changes and improved IVF-related outcomes after pretreatment. Fertility-treatment findings require replication and are distinct from safety during pregnancy.

Key findings

  • The trial reported metabolic changes and improved IVF-related outcomes after pretreatment. Fertility-treatment findings require replication and are distinct from safety during pregnancy.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Small three-arm clinical study with several outcomes; a positive pretreatment result does not establish a safe pregnancy regimen.

Source detail: indexed abstract and bibliographic record; unavailable methods or disclosures are identified rather than assumed.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology