Weight loss outcomes with tirzepatide in women with and without self-reported polycystic ovary syndrome
Abstract
Context: Weight management is key to managing polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and overweight/obesity but is challenging for many. Evidence regarding tirzepatide's efficacy in women with polycystic ovary syndrome is limited.
Objectives: To quantify the effectiveness of tirzepatide for weight loss in women with (self-reported) polycystic ovary syndrome and overweight/obesity compared with women not living with PCOS and to explore associations between engagement with nonpharmacological digital adjuncts and weight loss.
Methods: Retrospective open-cohort study in a digital weight management service in the United Kingdom. All women (aged 18+ years) with overweight/obesity prescribed tirzepatide for weight management between February 2024 and January 2025 were included. Percentage weight change from baseline was calculated in women reaching specific follow-up time points, stratified by PCOS status. Kaplan-Meier methods estimated cumulative probabilities of attaining total body weight loss thresholds.
Results: The cohort comprised 54 114 women of whom 4241 (7.84%) women had PCOS. At 10 months, the mean weight change in women with PCOS (n = 40) was -19.40% (95% confidence interval [CI], -22.38% to -16.42%); this was not significantly different from women without PCOS (n = 397; mean weight change, -18.74%; 95% CI, -19.67% to -17.81%). A total of 57.66% of women with PCOS lost ≥20% total body weight (95% CI, 47.44% to 68.29%) by 10 months. In women living with PCOS, digitally engaged…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 397 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Increased expression of circulating miRNA-93 in women with polycystic ovary syndrome may represent a novel, non-invasive biomarker for diagnosis
- Identification of key genes associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and ovarian cancer using an integrated bioinformatics analysis
- Identification of key pathways and genes in polycystic ovary syndrome via integrated bioinformatics analysis and prediction of small therapeutic molecules
- Regulation of Androgen Receptor Expression Alters AMPK Phosphorylation in the Endometrium: In Vivo and In Vitro Studies in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
- Effect of oral administration of low-dose follicle stimulating hormone on hyperandrogenized mice as a model of polycystic ovary syndrome
- Systems pharmacology to investigate the interaction of berberine and other drugs in treating polycystic ovary syndrome
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.