For decades, women with polycystic ovary syndrome were treated with combined oral contraceptive pills, but in recent years metformin is also commonly prescribed. However, strong evidence for a specific treatment is lacking. In this multi-center randomized clinical trial, Anuja Dokras and colleagues compare the effects of oral contraceptive pills, metformin, and a combination of both on metabolic syndrome prevalence in patients with high-risk hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity. 240 participants with PCOS and BMI between 25-48 were randomized 1:1:1 to 24 weeks of oral contraceptive pills, metformin, or both. They found no significant differences in metabolic syndrome between these groups.
Image Credit: Karola G via Pexels
Editorial
Setting the standard for high-quality studies using open health datasets
PLOS Medicine: published December 4, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004854
Perspectives
Treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS: Unfinished business
PLOS Medicine: published December 1, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004806
Vaccines to prevent bacterial sexually transmitted infections: Promise, progress, and public health potential
PLOS Medicine: published December 9, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004849
Safeguarding Open Science from exploitative practices
PLOS Medicine: published December 11, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004851
Research Articles
Hospital-based care for hallucinogens and risk of mania and bipolar disorder: A population-based cohort study
PLOS Medicine: published December 2, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004805
Social and health system factors associated with maternal mortality in Eastern and Western China: Population health estimates using provincial-level data
PLOS Medicine: published December 4, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004837
Association of hydralazine use with risk of hematologic neoplasms in patients with hypertension: A nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan
PLOS Medicine: published December 4, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004646
Ultrasensitive quantification of serum IFN-α and IFN-γ in systemic lupus erythematosus: A cross-sectional observational study
PLOS Medicine: published December 5, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004841
Wildfire-related PM2.5 and respiratory transmitted disease among Chinese children and adolescents from 2008 to 2019: A retrospective study
PLOS Medicine: published December 5, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004613
Impact of combined hormonal contraceptives and metformin on metabolic syndrome in women with hyperandrogenic polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity: The COMET-PCOS randomized clinical trial
PLOS Medicine: published December 8, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004662
Heterogeneous impacts of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) on drug resistance and phylogenetic cluster transmission dynamics in British Columbia, Canada: A retrospective cohort and simulation study
PLOS Medicine: published December 9, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004827
From sex differences to sex inequalities in life expectancy: A cross-country observational benchmarking analysis
PLOS Medicine: published December 11, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004828
Effects of early water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutrition interventions on child development at school age: a follow-on study of a cluster-randomized trial in rural Bangladesh
PLOS Medicine: published December 16, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004793
Pediatric studies and labeling additions required by the U.S. FDA for novel drugs approved from 2011 to 2023: A retrospective cohort study
PLOS Medicine: published December 17, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004651
Correction
Correction: Natural cycle versus hormone replacement therapy as endometrial preparation in ovulatory women undergoing frozen-thawed embryo transfer: The COMPETE open-label randomized controlled trial
PLOS Medicine: published December 9, 2025 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004856