title: Antiproliferative effect of metformin on the endometrium--a clinical trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Unopposed estrogen has a central role in development of endometrial benign, premalignant and malignant lesions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-estrogenic effect of metformin on endometrial histology in comparison with progesterone.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 43 patients who were referred to our center for abnormal uterine bleeding and had a histologic diagnosis were disordered proliferative endometrium or simple endometrial hyperplasia were included and randomly distributed in two groups treated with metformin (500mg Bid) or megestrol (40mg daily), respectively, for three months. After this period the patients were evaluated by another endometrial biopsy to assess the impact of the two drugs in restoring normal endometrial histology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our findings revealed that metformin could induce endometrial atrophy in 21 out of 22 patients (95.5%) while this positive response was achieved in only 13 out of 21 patients (61.9%) in the megstrol group. In addition two low grade endometrial carcinomas in the metformin group responded very well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that metformin could be used as an effective antiestrogenic agent in control of abnormal endometrial proliferative disorders.
authors.affiliation: Women's Reproductive Health Research Center, Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran E-mail ???
authors.forename: Ali Dastranj
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Tabrizi
authors.forename: Manijeh Sayyah
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Melli
authors.forename: Meraj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foroughi
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghojazadeh
authors.forename: Sanam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bidadi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001284:Atrophy; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D004714:Endometrial Hyperplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019290:Megestrol Acetate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008796:Metrorrhagia / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008687:Metformin; D019290:Megestrol Acetate