Lifestyle management in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) needs to reduce weight stigma, because for some people living with it, overly focusing on weight loss can negatively impact their mental health and well-being, a Monash University-led systematic review has found. Published in Obesity Reviews , the research review found weight stigma was a barrier to women seeking treatment for PCOS and health professionals need to be better educated about it. PCOS is an endocrine condition affecting 10–13% of reproductive aged women.
Among other things, it can cause menstruation issues, infertility, excess body hair, higher risk of cardiometabolic conditions such as diabetes, and weight gain. Lifestyle management through diet and physical activity changes can improve reproductive, cardiometabolic and psychological symptoms. There are also a range of treatments for various symptoms.
The review, by researchers at the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI), included 68 eligible research papers around the care of those with PCOS, focusing on diet and physical activity. It found all involved believed the professional education on PCOS and lifestyle management for health care professionals was inadequate and impacted quality of care and health outcomes . Weight stigma was identified as negatively impacting those with PCOS in larger and smaller bodies, reducing the quality of care and affecting self-perception and mental health .
Many people with PCOS believed that life.
