Effects of an oral contraceptive containing estradiol valerate and dienogest on circulating androgen levels and acne in young patients with PCOS: an observational preliminary study

Costantino Di Carlo, Virginia Gargano, Stefania Sparice, Giovanni A. Tommaselli, Giuseppe Bifulco, Carmine Nappi
In: Gynecological Endocrinology · 2013 · vol. 29(12) , pp. 1048–1050 · doi:10.3109/09513590.2013.831834 · PMID:24020909 · W2058886341
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-17 ⓘ

This observational study found that estradiol valerate/dienogest treatment improved acne in 52.8% of young PCOS patients and increased SHBG levels, though testosterone levels did not significantly decrease.

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Abstract

This study shows the effect of a 1 year treatment with an estradiol valerate/dienogest pill in 36 women suffering from polycystic ovaries and mild or moderate acne. At beginning of the study, 24 patients (66.7%) had grade 1-2 (mild) acne and 12 patients (33.3%) had grade 3 (moderate) acne. After 12 cycles of therapy, we found an improvement of acne in 19 (52.8%) patients and a worsening of acne in 3 (8.4%) patients. The percentage of patients recovered was statistically significant (p < 0.01). SHBG levels were significantly higher after 6 and 12 months of therapy (p < 0.001), while total testosterone levels were lower in all patients at 6 and 12 months although this trend did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, the present study suggests that the E2V/DNG pill could exert a positive influence on acne and hyperandrogenism. Since this is an observational study on a very limited population number, additional randomized controlled studies on larger populations are needed also to determine the effects of this contraceptive over longer periods of use.

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