Carbohydrate metabolism during treatment of endometriosis with the progestin dienogest

Eight otherwise healthy women aged 17 to 38 years with endometriosis were treated with 2 mg of the progestin dienogest daily for 24 weeks. Blood glucose and plasma insulin were measured prior to and during an intravenous glucose tolerance test before and after 1, 3 and 6 months use of the oral progestin. There were no significant changes in fasting glucose and in glucose levels after the glucose load during the therapy though the fasting glucose levels tended to be higher under dienogest. The basal insulin values remained unchanged but the insulin response was slightly insignificantly increased after 10 and 20 minutes following glucose application depending on the duration of therapy. The data suggest that 2 mg dienogest administered daily has no or only a very slight influence on carbohydrate metabolism.