Endocrine Abstracts

Women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) experience several physiological (weight gain, hirsutism, acne) and psychological challenges (emotional distress, anxiety, shame). This is particularly apparent in India where PCOS intersects with gender and patriarchal notions of womanhood (interfering with one’s marital prospects, compromising one’s ability to procreate). A young woman’s first source of support, therefore, is usually their mother. In India, a mother plays a pivotal role in managing and responding to one’s outer, social world. However, little is known about the communication and coping efforts among Indian young women and their mothers with regard to the former’s diagnosis and lived experiences of PCOS.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand the experiences of coping with PCOS-related challenges and communication between young women diagnosed with PCOS and their mothers in India

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 mother-daughter pairs (total n=24; mean age of daughters=22.4 years and mean age of mothers=49.5 years). The individual, telephonic, audio-recorded interviews explored each respondent’s experiences of managing PCOS-related symptoms, responses of their wider social network, concerns regarding the PCOS, and how they were communicating with their counterpart (i.e., mother or daughter). All interviews were all conducted in English and transcribed verbatim. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Three themes were identified: (1) emotional turmoil and the emotional impact of having PCOS: how mothers and daughters felt about the PCOS-related symptoms and social reception of PCOS, (2) coming to terms with and adapting to the condition: mothers’ and daughters’ individual and collaborative responses to PCOS management, and (3) need for (empathic) communication between the mothers and daughters.

Discussion and conclusion: These findings indicated that both women with PCOS and their mothers experienced immense emotional turmoil, with the former describing feelings of shame and the latter feelings of worry. Mothers played a crucial role in aiding their daughters in lifestyle management, although mothers preferred attempting at multiple alternate remedies while daughters wanted to adhere to the physician prescribed management choices. The dyads reported a need for effective empathic communication between one another, particularly about lifestyle management. These findings highlight the need for (1) physicians to include mothers in PCOS-related discussions in their daily practice, (2) communication skills interventions for mothers and daughters, and (3) community outreach so as to improve sensitivity and awareness to the psychological aspects of having PCOS in India.