Research
Hormonal
Combined oral contraceptive pills (COCP) are the first-line pharmacological management for menstrual irregularity and hyperandrogenism in women with PCOS.
If you have irregular periods or signs of high androgens (like hirsutism), combined oral contraceptives are the recommended first medication. Low-dose versions are preferred.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Combined oral contraceptive pills are first-line pharmacological management for menstrual irregularity and hyperandrogenism, with no specific formulation recommended and with low-dose preparations preferred.
Why this rating
Supported by evidence-based recommendations (EBR) with strong GRADE (****).
Source
Recommendations from the international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome†‡
Helena Teede et al. · Human Reproduction · 2018
DOI 10.1093/humrep/dey256
clinical_guidelineCited 1,549×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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