Ketogenic diet improves fertility in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: a brief report.

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects up to 20 % of reproductive-age individuals and is strongly linked to obesity. The impacts of ketogenic diet on fertility in people with PCOS are unknown. This study aims to determine the effect of a ketogenic diet on restoration of regular menstrual cycles and fertility.
Methods: After approval from the Institutional Review Boards of Cleveland Clinic, a retrospective analysis was conducted using the electronic health record system. We analyzed data from thirty patients (n = 30) with polycystic ovary syndrome who followed a ketogenic diet for at least 3 months at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Main outcomes were percentage of women with restoration of regular menstrual cycles and pregnancy rate.
Results: All women ( n = 30) had restoration of regular menstrual cycles. The overall pregnancy rate of women desiring pregnancy ( n = 18) was 55.6% ( n = 10). Pregnancy rate was 38.5% for women on metformin and 100% for those who were not ( P = 0.036). Pregnancy rate was 62.5% for women using ovulation induction agents and 50.0% for those who did not ( P = 0.66). Percent weight change between the pregnant and non-pregnant groups did not significantly differ [-8.1 ± 6.2, vs -6.4 ± 8.4, P = 0.64, respectively].
Conclusion: This study reports a higher rate of pregnancy with the ketogenic diet in women with PCOS compared to existing literature.
Competing Interests: KP reported receiving consulting honoraria from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Corcept Therapeutics, Diasome, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi; speaker honoraria from AstraZeneca, Merck, and Novo Nordisk; and research support from Bayer, Merck, Novo Nordisk, and Twin Health. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2024 Tsushima, Nachawi, Pantalone, Griebeler and Alwahab.)