Received October 01, 2003
Accepted October 24, 2003

Insulin resistance has been largely studied, concerning its impact on reproductive function and development of chronic diseases. The physiopathology of insulin resistance may be explained as a genetic defect of insulin action on peripheral tissues. As a consequence, the pancreas increases insulin production, which leads to exhaustion of its functional capacity along the years, developing diabetes mellitus. On the other hand, the hyperinsulinemic state leads to impaired endocrine function of the ovaries, with increase of androgenic production and modification of ovulatory patterns. Besides changing life habits, with diet and exercises, the use of metformin seems to be a good option in order to improve the endocrine profile and to restore normal ovulatory cycles. However, many questions remain to be answered.