Effects of oral contraceptives plus orlistat in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and overweight/obesity: A meta‐analysis

Aim This meta‐analysis was conducted to compare the effect and safety of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) plus orlistat with OCP alone in clinical, hormonal, and lipid metabolism outcomes in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and overweight/obesity. Methods Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and SinoMed were systematically reviewed. A random‐effects or fixed‐effects model was used to pool the estimate. Results Eight studies were included in this meta‐analysis. Significant reductions in BMI, WHR, and waist circumference were observed in combination group as compared with OCP alone group. Regarding the hormonal outcome, T, SHBG, FAI, LH, DHEAS, FSH, and E2 levels were significantly improved in combination group compared with OCP alone group. However, the TT and FT did not change significantly between the two groups. Regarding the lipid metabolism outcomes, TC, LDL‐C, and TG levels were reduced and HDL‐C level was increased in the combination group. Regarding the insulin metabolism outcomes, FINS and HOMA‐IR levels were reduced in combination group than in OCP group. The ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, and overall effective rate were significantly higher in combination group than in OCP alone group. Fewer complications were observed in the combination group than in OCP group, and the difference between them was significant. Conclusion This combination treatment of OCP and orlistat was more effective than OCP alone in reducing the weight, hormonal, lipid, and insulin metabolism profiles, as well as improving the ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, and overall effective rate, as compared with OCP alone.