Effects of Inositol Alone or Associated With Alpha-lipoic Acid in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Treatment

The aim of this double-blinded, three-armed randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to evaluate the effects of a 6 months treatment with inositol alone or inositol associated with alpha-lipoic acid in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The study population is composed of 90 women with PCOS (diagnosed according to the Rotterdam criteria). Subjects are randomized to one of the 3 arms of treatment (Inositol + alpha lipoic acid + folic acid vs inositol + folic acid vs folic acid alone). At recruitment and after 6 months of treatment, the following data are collected: * clinical data: height, weight, BMI, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, Ferriman Gallwey Score, menstrual diary * endocrine parameters (serum total and free testosterone levels, SHBG levels) * metabolic profile: glycemia and insulinemia at fasting and after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), serum lipids * insulin-sensitivity measured by the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and surrogate indexes * ovarian ultrasound data. Furthermore, ovulation is evaluated from the 2nd to the 6th month of the study through progesterone serial dosages on weekly urinary samples. The primary outcome of the study is the serum free testosterone variation after 6 months of treatment. Secondary outcomes are the variations of lipid profile, ovarian morphology and insulin-sensitivity after 6 months and the number of ovulations occurring in the last 4 months of treatment.