The background image is A stock image of a woman sitting in a chair in a home.
Do you have PCOS?
You’re invited to help Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine researchers discover how a nutritional supplement called Inositol can help manage polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) symptoms.
Compensation provided.
Study overview
Who can volunteer
- Women ages 18-45
- Diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
- Able to travel to Penn State Health in Hershey, Pa., for study visits
- Are not seeking pregnancy
- Additional criteria may apply
What volunteers will do
If you are eligible, you will be asked to complete some of the following activities in this study:
- Have a physical exam and other evaluations, including ultrasound
- Take the study drug as directed
- Have bloodwork taken throughout the study
- Complete questionnaires and keep a daily diary
This study will last a total of four months, and compensation is provided.
Keeping volunteers safe
We are taking several steps to keep research volunteers safe. This includes:
- Conducting research visits remotely (from home) when possible
- Practicing social distancing and using appropriate personal protective equipment (masks, face shields, gloves) during in-person research visits
- Screening before all in-person research visits, including temperature checks for all employees and volunteers
- Sanitation of all research spaces and equipment
Study details
Finding alternatives to managing PCOS
Dr. Richard Legro and his study team are passionate about finding ways to help women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) manage their symptoms.
Research is an important part of discovering new treatments and solutions for PCOS. This study, also known as INSUPP-PCOS, will see if a nutritional supplement called Inositol can help manage reproductive hormones and glucose tolerance in women with PCOS.
When you participate in INSUPP, you will be randomly assigned to one of the groups below. Your group assignment is by chance, much like the flip of a coin.
- Group 1: Will receive 2 grams of Inositol per day
- Group 2: Will receive 4 grams of Inositol per day
- Group 3: Will receive 6 grams of Inositol per day
- Group 4: Will receive a placebo over a three-month period.
A placebo is not a drug and has no active ingredients. This is sometimes called a “sugar pill”. The placebo group will be compared to the other groups taking Inositol and will help researchers understand whether Inositol is effective.
All groups will be asked to visit the study team in Hershey, Pa., to complete activities such as physical exams, laboratory assessments, ultrasound and bone density scans.
Compensation is provided for participating in this study.
Meet the study director
The background image is Dr. Richard Legro, right, is photographed in a laboratory where a technician, left, works behind him.
Richard S. Legro, MD
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Public Health Sciences
Dr. Richard Legro is has a long-standing interest in all aspects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the most common endocrinopathy in women. His studies have focused on the diagnosis, treatment and genetic/environmental causes of PCOS, as well as on improving infertility diagnosis and treatment.
He has worked with multiple clinical trial/research groups to develop novel and important investigator-initiated, multi-center trials to answer clinical questions about the role of lifestyle modification, medical agents and surgery to improve human reproductive function and treat infertility.
Through these studies, Dr. Legro has pioneered the tracking of outcomes in mothers from preconception through pregnancy to the postpartum period, and infants from birth onward.
For more information
If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact the study coordinator, Amyee McMonagle:
- Phone: 717-531-4484
- Email: amcmonagle@pennstatehealth.psu.edu