A Clincial Study Testing Tirzepatide on Reproductive Function and Metabolic Health in Women With PCOS Who Are Overweight or Obese

NCT ID: NCT07326111

Last Updated: 2026-01-08

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE4
• Total Enrollment: 198 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-12-09
• Study Completion Date: 2029-12-31

Brief Summary

This clinical study examines whether tirzepatide can improve ovarian dysfunction in premenopausal women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who are overweight or have obesity. Tirzepatide is already approved for the treatment of diabetes and obesity, but its effects on ovarian dysfunction in PCOS are not yet known. Participants will be randomly assigned to tirzepatide or placebo in a double-blinded manner.

The goal of the study is to demonstrate that tirzepatide, at the maximum tolerated dose, is superior to placebo for improvement of ovarian dysfunction as defined by menstrual irregularity in overweight or obesity-related PCOS.

All participants will have a screening visit, followed by 72 weeks of treatment. Treatment includes a 20-week dose-escalation period and a 52-week maintenance period. Lower doses may be used if side effects occur, and the highest tolerated dose will be continued through the maintenance phase. A 4-week safety follow-up will take place after treatment, and long-term follow-up will continue for one year. The study will take place at five clinical trial sites in Germany.

Detailed Description

PERIODS is a prospective, phase IV, multi-centre, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial that will investigate the effects of tirzepatide compared with placebo on ovarian dysfunction in premeno-pausal, overweight (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2) women with PCOS. The primary endpoint is the improvement of ovarian dysfunction as defined by menstrual irregularity and ovulation frequency in overweight or obesity-related PCOS.

All subjects will undergo a screening visit and a 72-week treatment period including a 20-week dose escalation up to the maximum tolerated dose. Lower doses of tirzepatide are permitted if intolerable side effects occur. However, even if a lower dose of tirzepatide turns out to be the maximum tolerated dose, this lower dose will be administered for the entire 20-week dose escalation period, followed by the 52-week maintenance dose.

The safety follow-up period will be 4 weeks (for subjects completing or discontinuing IMP during the first 72 weeks). Long-term follow-up will be one year after discontinuation of IMP.

The trial design is multi-centred with a planned number of 5 participating trial sites in Germany.

Conditions

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS); Obesity & Overweight

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: QUADRUPLE

Study Groups

Treatment Group

Weekly abdominal subcutaneous injection of tirzepatide over a 72-week treatment period including a 20-week dose-escalating regiment and 52-week treatment period adjunct to reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Tirzepatide as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention

Intervention Type: DRUG

Doses: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg Mode of application: weekly subcutaneous injection, prefilled pen injector Duration of treatment: 72 weeks (20 weeks dose escalation, 52 weeks treatment with maximum tolerated dose)

Control Group

Weekly abdominal subcutaneous injection of a placebo injectable over a 72-week period ad-junct to reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention

Intervention Type: DRUG

Dose: Placebo Pens to mimic doses 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg Mode of Application: weekly subcutaneous injection, prefilled pen injector Duration of Treatment: 72 weeks

Interventions

Tirzepatide as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention

Doses: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg Mode of application: weekly subcutaneous injection, prefilled pen injector Duration of treatment: 72 weeks (20 weeks dose escalation, 52 weeks treatment with maximum tolerated dose)

Intervention Type: DRUG

Placebo as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention

Dose: Placebo Pens to mimic doses 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg Mode of Application: weekly subcutaneous injection, prefilled pen injector Duration of Treatment: 72 weeks

Intervention Type: DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Written informed consent to participate in this clinical trial in accordance with local regulations and the ethical review board governing this clinical trial
• Subjects

• motivated, capable, and willing to self-inject IMP, as required for this protocol.
• motivated, capable, and willing to follow trial procedures for the duration of the clinical trial, includ-ing, but not limited to lifestyle, dietary and exercise advice.
• motivated, capable, and willing to complete trial diaries and required questionnaires.

• Females aged 18 - 45 years of childbearing potential
• At least 3 years post-menarche and premenopausal
• BMI ≥ 27 kg/m²
• Previous diagnosis of PCOS, defined by Rotterdam criteria
• Oligomenorrhea or secondary amenorrhea with irregular periods (defined as cycle length less than 21 or more than 35 days or < 8 cycles per year); within the last 10 years (if currently receiving hormonal contraceptive treatment) OR over the last year in the absence of hormonal contraceptive treatment
• Biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism with total testosterone in upper 95th Percentile AND free androgen index (FAI) > ULN and/or clinical signs of hyperandrogenism
• Hormonal contraceptive naïve or not on hormonal contraceptives six months prior to screening, willing to be without hormonal contraceptives for the duration of the clinical trial and to perform safe alternate contraception (barrier methods) during the 72-week IMP intake period and 30 days after the last dose of IMP

Exclusion Criteria

• Subjects without legal capacity who are unable to understand the nature, scope, significance and consequences of this clinical trial
• Subjects with a physical or psychiatric condition which at the investigator's discretion may put the subject at risk, may confound the trial results, or may interfere with the subject's participation in this clinical trial

• Note: Patients with depression or other psychiatric disorder whose disease state is considered stable and expected to remain stable throughout the course of the clinical trial, in the opinion of the investigator, may be considered for inclusion.
• Note: Subjects with a lifetime suicidal event cannot be considered for inclusion
• Simultaneous participation in another clinical trial, or participation in a clinical trial taking an investiga-tional product, up to 30 days after last IMP intake in that clinical trial
• Known or persistent abuse of medication, drugs or alcohol
• History of an active or untreated malignancy or being in remission from a clinically significant malig-nancy for less than 5 years

o Excluding basal- or squamous-cell skin cancer or in situ carcinomas of the cervix

• Prior diagnosis of severe renal impairment or measured as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 30 mL/min/1.73 m² during screening
• Acute or chronic hepatitis, signs and symptoms of any other liver disease other than non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level > 3.0 X the upper limit of normal, as deter-mined by the laboratory during screening
• History of gastric emptying abnormality (e.g., gastroparesis, gastric outlet obstruction or chronic de-pendence on drugs that significantly affect gastric emptying)
• Current (positive pregnancy test, e.g., ß-HCG test in urine / serum) or planned pregnancy during the 72-week treatment period from randomization, or nursing women

• Prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus other forms than type 2

o Note: Excluding prior history of gestational diabetes

• In case of diabetes mellitus type 2, exclusion of subjects

• on DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1R agonist and/or a dual/triple incretin agonist (up to 6 months prior to screening)
• on sulfonylureas or insulin (basal and/or bolus)
• with uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c > 8.5%)
• with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy requiring acute treatment
• with diabetic maculopathy
• Note: use of metformin or SGLT-2-inhibitor (if needed for glycemic control in type-2-diabetes) is allowed
• Current or prior treatment (up to 6 months prior to screening) with GLP-1R agonist or a dual incretin agonist for obesity or other indications
• Use of inositol formulations (up to 6 months prior to screening)
• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH, classic and non-classic forms)
• Thyroid, pituitary, and/or adrenal disease (if not appropriately treated)

o Note: Excluding stable disease and/or stable drug dose 12 weeks before screening

• Hyperprolactinaemia
• Known history of benign intrauterine lesions
• Hysterectomy
• Known history of hypersensitivity against tirzepatide or excipients
• Known history of hypersensitivity against medroxyprogesterone acetate or dydrogesterone or any other ingredients of the Auxiliary Medicinal Products
• Known personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or subjects with Multiple Endocrine Ne-oplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2)
• Elevated calcitonin levels as determined by the laboratory during screening

• ≥ 20 ng/L, if eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m2
• ≥ 35 ng/L, if eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2
• Known secondary cause of obesity (i.e., Cushing syndrome) or monogenetic or syndromic forms of obesity (i.e., melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency or Prader Willi Syndrome)
• Known history of acute or chronic pancreatitis
• Previous or planned bariatric surgery or endoscopic and/or device-based therapy for obesity

o Note: excluding liposuction or abdominoplasty if performed > 1 year prior to screening

• Vaginal bleeding of unknown cause
• Known thromboembolic events or active thrombophlebitis

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 45 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Heart and Diabetes Center North Rhine-Westphalia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University Hospital, Essen

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Ruhr University of Bochum

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

LMU Klinikum

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Bonn

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Charlotte Fries

Senior Physician

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Wiebke K. Fenske, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

BG UniversitätsklinikumBergmannsheil Bochum

Locations

University Hospital BG Bergmannsheil Bochum General internal medicine, endocrinology and diabetology, gastroenterology and hepatology

Bochum, , Germany

Site Status: ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION

University Hospital Bonn Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Bonn, , Germany

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Germany

Central Contacts

Wiebke Fenske K. Head of Department at BG Universitätsklinikum Bochum, Professor

Role: CONTACT

wiebke.fenske@bergmannsheil.de

+49 234 302 3613

Charlotte Fries M. Senior Physician, MD

Role: CONTACT

charlotte.fries@ukbonn.de

+49 228 287 52533

Facility Contacts

Charlotte Fries, MD

Role: primary

studien.endokrinologie@ukbonn.de

+49 228 287 52533

Other Identifiers

2024-515982-32-00

Identifier Type: CTIS

Identifier Source: secondary_id

MED1-202202

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id