Women With PCOS Have Higher Body Image Issues: Study

A study reveals that women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) have notably higher body image issues.

A study by ENDO reveals that PCOS influences women and their self-perception leading to higher concerns about body image for women with PCOS.

Recent research presented at ENDO's annual summit of 2023 by the Endocrine Society, the study says that women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) have considerably more body issues and concerns than women without the condition.

One in every four women has PCOS and 7-10 percent of women are affected by PCOS. PCOS is a condition that is the leading cause of infertility and affects metabolic health giving issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular health issues, and mental health issues like anxiety, depression etc. 

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Women With PCOS

The researchers of the Endocrine Society conducted three studies using a special questionnaire called Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS). The results of the study could be said as clinically significant as a considerable amount of women with PCOS reported feeling worse upon appearance evaluation and orientation than those without the condition.

Researchers after a meta-analysis of two more studies concluded that showed women with PCOS had significantly higher overweight preoccupation, lower Body Parts Satisfaction Scale (BPSS), and self-perception of body weight to be higher than the women without PCOS, according to the questionnaire analysis by researchers.

The meta-analysis of two studies using the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (BESSA) showed significantly lower scores of weight satisfaction in women with PCOS than the women living without the condition. However, BESSA scores have no significant statistics to prove appearance and attribution issues between the two groups.

Punith Kempegowda is a PhD and Assistant Professor at the Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham in Birmingham, U.K  for Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Acute Medicine. Kempegowda explaining the importance of their study said that there is a need to emphasize the need for an increase in awareness and screening of body image issues for those suffering from PCOS., as it may increase the risk of developing eating disorders and would adversely affect the quality of life of people living with this condition.