Can a diabetes drug restore ovulation in PCOS?
NCT ID NCT05819853
First seen Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 01, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether semaglutide, a drug used for diabetes and weight loss, can help restore ovulation in girls and women aged 12 to 35 with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and obesity. Participants receive semaglutide for 10 months, with doses increased over time. Researchers measure ovulation frequency before and after treatment, along with insulin sensitivity, to see if the drug improves reproductive and metabolic health.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- semaglutide (Wegovy or Ozempic), a GLP-1 receptor agonist drug
- What this could lead to
- If it works, semaglutide could become a treatment to restore regular ovulation in young women with PCOS and obesity, potentially improving fertility and metabolic health.
- What could go wrong
- This is a phase 3 trial with 80 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Semaglutide can cause side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, and not all participants may respond.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 3
Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.
- Participants
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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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12 to 35 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria 1. Female 2. Ages 12-35 years 3. Sedentary- less than 2 hours of moderate (jogging, swimming etc.) exercise a week. 4. Oligomenorrhea, on or off metformin, as defined per age category in the most recent 2018 PCOS international guidelines 5. Initial BMI based on age and weight: 1. If \<18 years, initial BMI percentile ≥95 2. If 18-35 years, initial BMI ≥30 kg/m2 OR initial BMI ≥27 kg/m2 with at least one weight-related comorbid condition, e.g., hypertension or dyslipidemia 3. Must be weight stable within ±5kg in the 3 months prior to enrollment 6. Diagnosed with PCOS per the most stringent NIH criteria with adaptation for adolescents (oligomenorrhea \>24 months post-menarche or primary amenorrhea after age 15 years and clinical/ biochemical hypertestosteronemia 7. Participants cannot be on hormonal contraception, so participants should remain abstinent or use reliable non-hormonal contraception (e.g., copper IUD) for the entire study period. For participants who receive semaglutide, they should avoid pregnancy for at least 2 months after stopping medication to avoid fetal exposure to the medication. 8. For participants in the metformin + semaglutide group, participants must have been stable on ≥ 1500 mg of metformin a day for at least 3 months by time of screening Exclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosed with or have a family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN2). Family history of medullary thyroid cancer or thyroid nodule palpated by endocrinologist at screening. - Per approved drug label 2. Use of medications known to affect insulin sensitivity: metformin (cannot have been used in the 3 months prior to screening for the untreated arm of the study), chronic oral steroids, oral glucocorticoids within 10 days, atypical antipsychotics, immunosuppressant agents, HIV medications, estrogen-containing hormonal contraception (cannot have been used in the 6 months prior to screening), progesterone-containing hormonal contraception (cannot have been used in the 3 months prior to screening). Dermal patch or vaginal ring contraception methods. Weight loss medications or stimulants. Use of other products containing other GLP-1 agonists. 3. Weight loss medications in the last 6 months 4. Currently pregnant or breastfeeding women. Development of pregnancy during the study period will necessitate withdrawal from the study. 5. Severe illness requiring hospitalization within 60 days. 6. Diabetes, defined as Hemoglobin A1C ≥6.5% 7. Anemia, defined as Hemoglobin \< 12 mg/dL 8. Diagnosed major psychiatric or developmental disorder limiting informed consent. 10\) Known liver disease other than NAFLD, or AST or ALT \>125 IU/L. 11) Personal history of pancreatitis 12) Known renal disease of any severity or an eGFR at screening of \<45ml/min/1.73m2 13) History of severe GI disease (e.g., gastroparesis) 14) History of gallstones 15) Untreated thyroid disease 16) History of hypersensitivity to semaglutide 17) Other causes of hyperandrogenism (example: tumor, CAH) or amenorrhea (untreated thyroid disease, tumor, primary ovarian failure, prolactinoma). 18\) Active symptoms or undergoing treatment for anorexia nervosa or binging/purging disorder 19) Desiring pregnancy in the next 12-18 months. 20) Bariatric surgery 21) Use of THC (smoking or edible) more than 3 days a week 22) Alcohol use-drinking more than 2 drinks, more than 3 days a week 23) Any potential participants who cannot/will not commit to abstinence, use of a copper intrauterine device (IUD), or use of double barrier forms of contraception.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
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Contacts and locations
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Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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University of Colorado Anschutz/Children's Hospital Colorado Aurora
RECRUITINGAurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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