대한약국학회

Drug Comparison and Practical Usage of   

Oral Contraceptives in PCOS treatment 

Jaewon LEE 1  and Minku KANG 2  

College of Pharmacy 1,3 , Woosuk University, Wan-ju 55338, Korea 

Goodmorning Homecare Pharmacy, Seongnamsi, Gyeonggido, Korea  

Abstract 

Introduction   

PCOS- Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age. In most cases 

treatment of  PCOS involves oral contraceptives. There has been 1 st  to 4 th  generation pills.  In Korea,  4 th  

generation contraceptives are prescribed to treat PCOS in most cases. Among 4th generation contraceptives, 

different pills are prescribed based on patients’ conditions.   

Purpose   

Finding out about different kinds of contraceptives used to treat PCOS through frequency of each drug 

prescribed in a local pharmacy.   

Method   

Research subjects Patients who visited pharmacy with oral contraceptives prescription with disease code 

E28.2, which stands for PCOS, from August 8 th , 2020 to September 19 th , 2020. 

Research method Analyzing frequency of usage of various kinds of contraceptives and studying the benefits 

and limitations of each.   

Result   

Among the patients who were prescribed oral contraceptives regarding PCOS (n=23 patients), 23 patients 

were taking 4 th  generation contraceptives. 16 patients were taking Yaz (Bayer) and 7 were taking Yasmin 

(Bayer).   

Conclusion   

Despite the slightly higher risk of developing VTE (Venous thromboembolism) than levonorgestrel-containing pills the 

4 th  generation pills have, desogestrel or gestodene are the first choice of drugs when treating PCOS. 

Oral contraceptives were being used to treat various kinds of female diseases in many prescriptions. In 

this case of PCOS, the frequency of each kind of drug being prescribed was inversely proportional to the 

frequency of side effects each drug may have. The effectiveness of birth control is proportional to the 

amount of ethinyl estradiol in pills. General side effects of EE are the same as for other estrogens and 

include breast tenderness, headache, fluid retention (bloating), nausea, dizziness, and weight gain. Thus, 

Yasmin can be the first choice of drug when used only for contraception. However, it has been studied 

that Yaz, with less EE content, does not lack much function as contraceptives with less adverse effects.     

Key word   

PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), Oral contraception, VTE (Venous thromboembolism)