Cardiometabolic Effects of Cabergoline and Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills in Young Women with Hyperprolactinemia: A Pilot Study

Although dopaminergic agents are the drugs of choice in treatment of prolactin excess, women who cannot be treated with these agents are recommended to receive estrogen preparations. The aim of this study was to compare cardiometabolic effects of both treatment options. The study population included three groups of young women. Subjects with mild-to-moderate hyperprolactinemia received either low-dose cabergoline or oral combined contraceptives (ethinyl estradiol plus desogestrel), while normoprolactinemic women were drug-naive. Plasma prolactin, glucose homeostasis markers, lipids, circulating levels of uric acid, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), fibrinogen and homocysteine, and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) were assessed at entry and six months later. Hyperprolactinemic women differed from normoprolactinemic ones in glucose homeostasis markers, high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, hsCRP, fibrinogen, homocysteine and UACR. Cabergoline decreased total and monomeric prolactin levels, which was accompanied by normalization of glucose, insulin sensitivity, glycated hemoglobin, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, hsCRP, fibrinogen, homocysteine and UACR. Despite a neutral effect on prolactin levels, combined contraceptives worsened insulin sensitivity and increased triglycerides, hsCRP, fibrinogen and UACR. At follow-up, cabergoline-treated women were characterized by a better cardiometabolic profile than women receiving ethinyl estradiol plus desogestrel. Our findings suggest that only cabergoline reduces cardiometabolic risk in young women with hyperprolactinemia.