Research Progress on the Treatment of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Abstract

The root cause of this disease lies in an internal imbalance of the zang-fu organs, while phlegm-dampness and blood stasis serve as the manifest pathogenic factors; consequently, clinical manifestations often exhibit a mixture of deficiency and excess, characterized by a manifest excess with an underlying deficiency. In terms of treatment, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) approaches include syndrome differentiation and treatment, flexible modification of classical formulas, acupuncture and moxibustion, and various specialized TCM therapies. Although these methods are safe and effective, they currently face several limitations: (1) While there are many small-sample studies on the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with TCM and acupuncture, there is a lack of large-scale, multicenter clinical validation; (2) Much of the research data comes from a single hospital, resulting in insufficient representativeness of the sample, small sample sizes, and a lack of overall comprehensiveness; (3) Insufficient sample sizes and observation periods make it difficult to assess long-term clinical outcomes. Future research should focus on the following areas: (1) Conducting systematic, scientifically sound, and rigorously designed multicenter studies with large sample sizes to enhance the persuasiveness of research findings; (2) Diversifying data sources as much as possible to avoid reliance on a single source, increasing sample size, extending the duration of follow-up, and improving representativeness; (3) While administering pharmacological treatment, attention should also be paid to patients’ psychological well-being to foster positive mindset changes, thereby facilitating adherence to long-term treatment regimens.