GLP-1 receptor agonists, known as GLP-1s, for short, are a class of drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and, in some cases, obesity.
Examples of commonly used GLP-1 drugs include Ozempic and Wegovy, which contain the active ingredient semaglutide, and Mounjaro and Zepbound, which contain tirzepatide.
All of these can be used in the treatment type 2 diabetes, but only Wegovy and Zepbound have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in the management of obesity, while Ozempic and Mounjaro are more often used specifically in the management of diabetes.
These diabetes medications can help with weight management because obesity and diabetes are often interlinked, as many people with obesity also develop type 2 diabetes.
What is perhaps more surprising is that some recent studies have suggested that GLP-1s could also help with some medical conditions affecting the female reproductive system, particularly polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
PMOS is characterized by irregular periods, hormonal imbalances that can present in many different ways, including through unusual hair growth, the development of fluid-filled cysts on the ovaries, and it can co-occur with other metabolic conditions, including obesity.
One small study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in July 2026 found that taking GLP-1s might help not just with weight management, but also with restoring ovulatory cycles in people with PMOS.
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This study followed 96 individuals with PMOS, who had a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kilograms per square meter (kg/m2), falling in the BMI range of overweight or obesity.
The participants received an individualized semaglutide treatment over a period of 6 months, with the treatment dose increased as necessary.
At the end of this intervention, 95% of participants with PMOS and overweight or mild obesity were able to regulate their menstrual cycles. However, only 25% of participants with moderate or severe obesity achieved the same positive effects.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Endocrinology in February 2026 stressed that the evidence suggesting that GLP-1s can aid in the treatment of PMOS remains mixed and uncertain.
The meta-analysis looked at 17 articles that were relevant to the discussion, assessing data from 11 randomized controlled trials between them.
“This rigorous systematic review and meta-analysis show that overweight or obese individuals with PCOS, similar to those with obesity or overweight without this diagnosis, are likely to lose weight following a relatively short course of treatment,” the review authors wrote.
“However, the impact of GLP-1-RAs on other metabolic outcomes in women with PCOS [PMOS] remains uncertain,” they cautioned.
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To shed more light on whether GLP-1s are actually a helpful course of treatment in PMOS, and who might benefit the most from this potential addition, Medical News Today spoke with Clare Thompson, MBBS, a general practitioner at the Cadogan Clinic in London, United Kingdom, who leads their Weight Management Service.
MNT also spoke with Steven Vasilev, MD, a gynecologic oncologist specializing in endometriosis and founder of the Lotus Endometriosis Institute in Santa Monica, CA.
Both Thompson and Vasilev explained that PMOS shares several metabolic pathways with conditions like diabetes and obesity.
“PMOS is a condition characterized by hyperandrogenism [overly high levels of the androgen hormone] and hyperinsulinemia [high insulin], which can interrupt endocrine pathways involved in regular ovulation,” Thompson told us.
Then, there are the mechanisms affecting ovulation in PMOS, she added: “Peripheral fatty tissue is a store of estrogen. Excessive levels of estrogen can interfere with the feedback cycle needed for ovulation from the ovaries. This is seen commonly in PMOS patients who may often be overweight.”
That is why weight-loss strategies and GLP-1 treatments may help, said Thompson and Vasilev.
“Modest weight loss can correct the peripheral estrogen excess in fat stores, which then may help regulate ovulation. Additionally, use of GLP-1s can help regulate a PMOS patient’s glycemic control [blood sugar control] and insulin sensitivity.”
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– Clare Thompson, MBBS
“Reduced hyperinsulinemia raises sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and lowers ovarian androgen output,” Vasilev explained, because “hyperinsulinemia suppresses hepatic SHBG synthesis and augments ovarian androgen production, so restoring insulin sensitivity works through both hepatic and ovarian routes to lower bioavailable androgen.”
However, he cautioned that, while “the evidence is promising [it] certainly does not yet support GLP-1 RAs as a first-line, disease-modifying therapy or as a blanket add-on for everyone” with PMOS.
Thompson expanded on that point, noting that “not all patients with PMOS are overweight and in fact there is a phenotype of thin patients who do not neatly fit into the classic presentation.”
“PMOS is a spectrum of symptoms and for patients who are affected at the milder end of the spectrum diet and lifestyle interventions may be enough to be helpful in managing their condition,” she advised.
Both Thompson and Vasilev stressed that only individuals with both overweight or obesity and PMOS are the most likely to benefit from a GLP-1 treatment.
“The strongest data [regarding GLP-1s for PMOS] are in overweight/obese women,” Vasilev reiterated.
He also emphasized that there are several situations in which individuals with PMOS who might otherwise benefit from GLP-1 treatment would be best advised to try a different route.
Firstly, he said, anyone looking to conceive should avoid GLP-1s. These drugs “are ‘teratogenicity-concern’ agents, which means that they must be stopped before conception,” said Vasilev.
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“This is a major caveat in a population where many patients are actively seeking fertility; contraception and preconception discontinuation counseling are required,” he advised.
He also outlined the importance of gastrointestinal adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness, that can come with GLP-1 use. These adverse effects “are common and should not be taken lightly,” cautioned Vasilev.
Moreoever, “tirzepatide’s delayed gastric emptying can reduce oral contraceptive efficacy, which is relevant when pregnancy prevention matters,” he told us, adding that “this represents a big caution flag.”
Finally, Vasilev explained that since there is currently no definitive proof that GLP-1s are a potent treatment for PMOS due to “low to very low” certainty evidence derived from “small and heterogeneous” clinical trials, other treatments remain the preferred first-line of action.
Thus, he said:
“Guideline positioning still focus[es] on lifestyle optimization, combined oral contraceptives for menstrual/androgenic symptoms, and metformin for metabolic features; GLP-1 RAs are not [an] established first-line [treatment for PMOS]. Well-designed, PMOS-specific, phenotype-stratified trials are needed before that changes.”
Another question that remains unanswered is: If GLP-1s may help some people with PMOS, could they also help individuals affected by other medical conditions of the female reproductive system?
“This is where the concept plausibly spills over,” said Vasilev, “though the data are even more sparse.”
In Thompson’s view, there may be a case to be made for using GLP-1s to support people with metabolic syndrome who do not experience regular ovulation as they should.
“Patients with metabolic syndrome may also benefit from use of a GLP-1, as additional peripheral fat is a store of estrogen, which could cause anovulation,” she explained.
For other, more specific reproductive system conditions, however, there is hope that GLP-1s could aid treatment but the evidence remains inconclusive.
“GLP-1 receptors are distributed throughout the reproductive tract, and preclinical work attributes anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects in the gonads and endometrium, plus favorable immunomodulation [immune response regulation],” Vasilev explained.
“Active investigation extends to infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, and endometrial hyperplasia,” he added.
According to Vasilev:
“Endometriosis is a logical next frontier for this same reasoning. It is fundamentally a chronic inflammatory, estrogen-dependent, fibrotic disease, and the anti-inflammatory/anti-fibrotic endometrial actions ascribed to GLP-1 signaling could, in principle, extend into it.”
Still, doctors would not be able to recommend GLP-1s for endometriosis at the current time, as “there is no clinical trial data supporting” this indication, said Vasilev. “So any benefit there remains hypothetical rather than evidence-based.”
