Acupuncture or Metformin for Insulin Resistance in Women With PCOS

All women will receive lifestyle management instructions at the baseline visit, before randomization. The lifestyle management involves one initial counselling session in connection with the baseline visit, which includes information about the importance of weight management, healthy diet and physical activity.

Disposable, single-use, sterilized CE marked needles made of stainless steel, 0.25 x 30 mm and 0.30 x 40/50 mm will be inserted to a depth of 15-40 mm in segmental acupuncture points located in abdominal and leg muscles, with innervations corresponding to the ovaries and the pancreas. Two sets of acupuncture points will be alternated every second treatment.

Oral metformin 500 mg three times daily, in total 1500 mg per day. To reduce gastrointestinal side-effects of metformin, the dose will be slowly escalated starting with 500 mg daily during the first week, increasing to 500 mg twice per day during the second the week, and 500 mg three times daily, morning, lunch and dinner from the third week in total 16 weeks including the 3 weeks step-up phase (i.e. 4 months).