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.
Current estimations indicate that women with PCOS are around three times more likely to have an eating disorder compared to women without PCOS. In order to prevent and offer better help with eating and body image concerns in PCOS, the present study explores the lived experiences of those affected.
For the present study, we are looking for UK-based adults who have a PCOS diagnosis, and past or present experiences with an eating disorder or disordered eating. Online interviews and focus groups will be used to explore participants’ perspectives on why and how PCOS and eating disorders might be linked.
The present study is let by researchers from the University of Edinburgh and has received ethical approval from the university’s ethics review committee.
As part of this study, you will:
- Fill in a short online survey to sign up and provide some information on your personal
characteristics and health history (~5min) - Attend a brief ‘onboarding’ meeting online to check your eligibility for the study and to ask any
questions you might have about the study (~10min) - Participate in an online interview to talk about your experiences with PCOS and eating disorder
symptoms (~1 hour) - Optionally, you can also participate in a follow-up online group discussion to hear about and
discuss first findings OR comment on first findings online (~1 hour)
You can take part if you…
- Have a PCOS diagnosis (i.e., you were told by a doctor that you have PCOS)
- Have past or present experiences with an eating disorder OR disordered eating
- Are at least 18 years old
- Are based in the UK
- Can speak English well enough to participate in an interview
- Have a working phone or laptop camera to check your eligibility during the onboarding meeting
By sharing your experiences with us, you will be contributing to a better understanding of the challenges around living with PCOS, including how PCOS might be linked to eating disorder symptoms. You will be paid £25 (in the form of a voucher) for participating in an interview and an additional £25 voucher if you decide to participate in a follow-up group discussion.
Please sign up to this study via the following link:
https://edinburgh.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Pq7GKOejM8CcdM
Thank you for your interest and feel free to share this information with anyone who could be eligible and interested in this study! If you would like to know more about the project and the study team, please visit the project website which is continuously being updated: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/pcos-and-eating-disorders/
For any questions, please reach out via email to Dr Tine Opitz at mopitz@ed.ac.uk.
Verity - The PCOS charity 