Comment: The quality of evidence is downgraded by study limitations, by imprecise results, and by inconsistency.
A Cochrane review assessed different medical interventions for hirsutism. Metformin demonstrated no benefit over placebo in reduction of Ferriman-Gallwey scores (score 0 to 36) (MD 0.05, 95% CI -1.02 to 1.12; 7 trials, n=264), however, the dose varied from 500mg to 2550mg per day and the quality of evidence was low. Ferriman-Gallwey scores from 3 studies comparing flutamide versus metformin could not be pooled (I² = 62%) because of inconsistent findings.
Date of latest search: 11 June 2014