PMID 31807257

Research
All papers

Evaluation of Changes in Levels of Hyperandrogenism, Hirsutism and Menstrual Regulation After a Period of Aquatic High Intensity Interval Training in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Samadi Z, Bambaeichi E, Valiani M, Shahshahan Z

Question

Does aquatic HIIT plus metformin improve hyperandrogenism, hirsutism, menstrual regulation, insulin resistance, and body composition more than metformin alone in obese women with PCOS?

Summary

In obese women with PCOS taking metformin, adding 12 weeks of aquatic HIIT improved BMI, fat mass, insulin resistance, some androgen-related markers, hirsutism, menstrual cycle timing, and VO2peak more than metformin alone. The study was small and did not report adverse-event details.

Methodology

  • Obese women with PCOS and insulin resistance
  • 30 participants.
  • Aquatic HIIT.
  • Work intervals: 20 s.
  • Recovery: 10 s rest; 1 min between 4-min bouts.
  • Intensity: 80% to 95% HRmax.
  • 30 min including warm-up and cool-down.
  • 3 sessions/week.
  • 12 weeks.
  • Randomized clinical trial
  • HOMA-IR, Hyperandrogenism markers, and Body composition were tracked.

Outcomes

HOMA-IR

AHIIT plus metformin reduced insulin resistance more than metformin alone.

Experimental 3.14 +/- 1.42 to 2.69 +/- 0.78; between-group p=0.010.

Improved

Hirsutism

Hirsutism severity decreased substantially in the experimental group.

Ferriman-Gallwey 14.06 +/- 5.18 to 7.53 +/- 2.03; between-group p=0.000.

Improved

Androgens

FT, FSH, and SHBG improved versus control, but TT, DHEAS, FAI, and LH were not significantly different between groups.

Between-group p<0.05 for FT, FSH, SHBG; p>0.05 for TT, DHEAS, FAI, LH.

Mixed

Menstrual cycle

Menstrual cycle timing improved in both groups.

Experimental cycle days 69.33 +/- 20.24 to 47.80 +/- 13.38; control 66.73 +/- 19.72 to 56.93 +/- 17.54; within-group p=0.001.

Improved

Insights

  • 20:10 aquatic intervals may be feasible as an adjunct in a clinical PCOS program.
  • Claims should be limited to women with PCOS using metformin and pool-based training.
  • Diet, motivation, and mental health were not controlled enough for strong behavioral translation.

Limitations

  • Small sample
  • Clinical PCOS-only population
  • Metformin co-intervention
  • No daily energy intake assessment
  • No psychological/motivation assessment
  • No adverse-event detail

Safety

  • No adverse-event reporting was found in the extracted NXML.