Complementary administration of curcumin in PCOS: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The clinical benefit of curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, among women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is unclear. In this systematic review, we aim to provide a brief review of the existing literature on the association between curcumin supplementation and PCOS. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Published articles relevant to the topic was obtained through extensive search using relevant keywords such as, "polycystic ovarian syndrome", "PCOS", "turmeric", and "curcumin". Inclusion criteria included studies that investigated PCOS and turmeric/curcumin, while studies that investigated the use of curcumin in other gynecological disorders, infertility, rodent studies, and non-RCTs were excluded. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: A total of 14 articles were found and only five studies were incorporated based on the exclusion criteria. The main findings were that curcumin supplementation aids in improvement of lipid and glycemic profiles, body mass index (BMI) and lowers androgen levels associated with PCOS. CONCLUSIONS: We shed light on additional therapeutic management for PCOS other than the conventional treatment. Further studies are required with larger sample sizes and diverse patient population to derive definitive conclusions regarding benefits of curcumin supplementation in PCOS.