The below blog post has been written by the research team, and details of how to participate in the research can be found at the bottom of this post. Verity have sighted the ethics approval granted for the recruitment of this study.
PCOS is one of the main causes of infertility, and infertility grief is an emotional response triggered by the inability to conceive. Yet, research has not yet explored the experience of infertility grief for people with PCOS-induced infertility. Therefore, we would like to explore what factors are associated with infertility grief for people experiencing fertility difficulties as a result of having PCOS.
I am planning to conduct some research as part of Doctorate training around the experience of having PCOS which has caused difficulties with infertility, and specifically thinking about the grief that comes with this. As this is an under-researched topic, the aim of my study will be to explore what factors may be associated with the experience of infertility grief for people with PCOS.
Ethical Approval (230169270) has been granted by the institution leading the research (University of Sheffield).
What’s Involved?
- Complete an online survey about the following topics:
- Experience of infertility grief
- Depression symptoms
- Anxiety symptoms
- Internal shame
- External shame
- Perceived social support
- It should take around 15-20 minutes of your time
Who Can Take Part?
In order to be eligible to take part you must be aged 18 years old and above; living in the UK; must have a diagnosis of PCOS; experiencing infertility as a result of your PCOS symptoms at the time of completing this study; have never been pregnant before; and not having fertility treatment at the time of completing the study.
Why Take Part?
Whilst there are no immediate benefits for people taking part in the project, it is hoped that this work will help us to better understand the experiences of females with PCOS. We hope that where females with PCOS are struggling with grieving their infertility, our research will help them to understand what may be associated with this, to inform appropriate support.
After participating in this research, you will have the opportunity to enter a prize draw for one of two £25 vouchers.
How to Get Involved
To be involved in the study you can use the following link: https://shef.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0VZ7Snf9umkuzGK
Equally, you can email Megan Burkinshaw (Trainee Clinical Psychologist) at mburkinshaw1@sheffield.ac.uk for further information.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information and your interest in our research. We would encourage you to also share this opportunity with anyone you think may be eligible, to help us have a greater understanding of PCOS!
If you have any questions or would like to know more please email Megan Burkinshaw (Trainee Clinical Psychologist) at mburkinshaw1@sheffield.ac.uk Supervised by Victoria Tew (v.tew@sheffield.ac.uk).
Verity - The PCOS charity 