Efficacy of a Novel Fenugreek Seed Extract (Furocyst) in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in Female Subjects

Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age causing irregular menstrual cycles, excessive body or facial hair, miscarriage and infertility. Infertility is one of most common PCOS symptoms. Because the symptoms of PCOS are seemingly unrelated to one another, the condition is often overlooked and undiagnosed. We conducted an open label, one‐arm, non‐randomized, post‐marketing surveillance study in 50 premenopausal women (18‐45 years, BMI<42) diagnosed with PCOS using a novel fenugreek seed extract (Furocyst, 2 capsules of 500 mg each/day) over a period of 90 consecutive days to determine its efficacy on the reduction of ovarian volume and the number of ovarian cysts. Ethical committee approval was obtained for this study. Furocyst caused significant reduction in ovary volume. Approximately 46% of study population showed reduction in cyst size, while 36% of subjects showed complete dissolution of cyst. It is important to mention that 71% of subjects reported regular menstrual cycle on completion of the treatment and 12% of subjects got pregnant. Overall, 94% of patients were benefitted from this study. Significant increases in luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were observed compared to the baseline values. Extensive blood chemistry, hematological and biochemical assays demonstrated the broad spectrum safety. Furocyst caused significant decrease in both ovarian volume and the number of ovarian cysts. In summary, Furocyst was efficacious in ameliorating PCOS.