Women with PCOS Have Lower Oxytocin and GLP-1 Levels, Which May Explain Their Stronger Food Cravings

Women with PCOS had significantly lower fasting oxytocin levels (1294 vs 1580 pg/mL, p=0.024) and reduced baseline and postprandial GLP-1 and GIP levels compared to matched controls. Oxytocin and GLP-1 were correlated at all time points, and in healthy controls, early oxytocin changes correlated with hunger and satiety — a relationship absent in women with PCOS. Food cravings were also significantly higher in the PCOS group.

Cross-sectional study comparing 36 women with PCOS to 36 age- and BMI-matched healthy controls. All underwent a mixed meal test during the early follicular phase with blood drawn at 0, 30, 60, and 120 minutes. Measured oxytocin, GLP-1, and GIP levels. Hunger, satiety, and food cravings assessed using visual analog scales and the Food Craving Questionnaire.

PCOS affects up to 10% of women and is often accompanied by weight gain and difficulty managing appetite. This study reveals that both oxytocin and incretin hormones are simultaneously disrupted in PCOS, suggesting a shared pathway that could explain the increased food cravings and appetite dysregulation these women experience.

This study connects two separate research threads — oxytocin's role in appetite and GLP-1's role in metabolic health — in the context of PCOS. As GLP-1 drugs become more widely used for weight management, understanding why women with PCOS have lower baseline incretins and disrupted oxytocin could open doors for targeted hormonal therapies that address the root cause of appetite dysregulation rather than just suppressing it.

Cross-sectional design cannot establish causation. Moderate sample size of 72 total participants. Only studied during early follicular phase, so hormonal dynamics at other cycle points are unknown. Did not test whether correcting these peptide deficits would improve appetite symptoms.