Effects of metformin versus ethinyl-estradiol plus cyproterone acetate on ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and carotid intima media thickness in women with the polycystic ovary syndrome  Manuel Luque-Ramírez, M.D., Covadonga Mendieta-Azcona, M.D., Francisco Álvarez-Blasco, M.D., Héctor F. Escobar-Morreale, M.D., Ph.D.  Fertility and Sterility  Volume 91, Issue 6, Pages 2527-2536 (June 2009) DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.03.082 Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Changes in average daytime, nighttime, and 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate recordings of polycystic ovary syndrome patients treated with Diane35 Diario or metformin for 24 weeks. Data are mean ± standard error of the mean. Eleven patients completed the metformin arm (this arm had a large dropout rate, and the baseline ambulatory blood pressure monitoring recording was missing for one patient); the intention-to-treat analysis included all of the patients treated with metformin (n = 18). ∗P<.05 for the interaction between the arms of treatment, in both analysis of patients who completed the study and in intention-to-treat analysis. Fertility and Sterility 2009 91, 2527-2536DOI: (10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.03.082) Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions

Figure 2 Changes in the physiologic nocturnal decrease in systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure of polycystic ovary syndrome patients treated with Diane35 Diario or metformin for 24 weeks. Data are mean ± SEM. Eleven patients completed the metformin arm (this arm had a large dropout rate, and the baseline ambulatory blood pressure monitoring recording was missing for one patient); the intention-to-treat analysis included all of the patients treated with metformin (n = 18). Fertility and Sterility 2009 91, 2527-2536DOI: (10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.03.082) Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions

Figure 3 Changes in common carotid intima-media thickness of PCOS patients submitted to treatment with Diane35 Diario (n = 15) or metformin (n = 19) for 24 weeks in the whole of patients. Symbols and error bars are mean ± SEM. The shaded area represents the mean ± SEM of the nonhyperandrogenic control group. Because of the large drop-out rate in the metformin arm, the Figures show the analysis of the patients completing the study (n = 12) and an intention-to-treat analysis including all the patients treated with metformin (n = 19). ∗P<.05 compared with the control group of healthy women irrespective of the arm of treatment. Fertility and Sterility 2009 91, 2527-2536DOI: (10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.03.082) Copyright © 2009 American Society for Reproductive Medicine Terms and Conditions