Meta-Analysis of Probiotic and Metformin Co-Therapy for PCOS Outcomes

Six randomized controlled trials compare probiotic and metformin co-administration versus metformin monotherapy for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. This systematic review and meta-analysis, authored by Mohammed Hamsho and published in 2026, quantifies effects on insulin resistance, hormone levels, and gastrointestinal adverse events.

Use Cases

• Compare mean differences in HOMA-IR values between treatment groups to quantify insulin resistance improvement.
• Analyze standardized mean differences for luteinizing hormone levels to assess hormonal impact.
• Evaluate pooled effect sizes and confidence intervals for gastrointestinal adverse effect rates.
• Examine study heterogeneity metrics to understand consistency of findings across the six included trials.

Strengths

• Data synthesizes results from six distinct clinical studies.
• Quantitative outcomes include mean difference and standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals.
• Analysis covers multiple endpoints: insulin resistance, hormones, and adverse effects.

Limitations

• Limited to six included studies, indicating a small evidence base.
• Findings are constrained by substantial heterogeneity in some outcomes and short intervention durations.
• Non-standardized probiotic doses and preparations across studies limit comparability.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar.

Time Range

Literature search until 2 December 2025.

Freshness

Updated March 2026, based on literature search until December 2025.

Geography

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