Body image concerns more common among women with PCOS
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Key takeaways:
- Women with PCOS had worse scores for appearance evaluation and orientation than those without PCOS.
- A more uniform assessment for analyzing body image concerns for women with PCOS is needed.
CHICAGO — Women with polycystic ovary syndrome may have more concerns about their body image compared with those without PCOS, according to findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis presented at ENDO 2023.
“Our study emphasizes the need for improved awareness and screening for body image concerns in women with PCOS,” Punith Kempegowda, PhD, MD, MSc, SFHEA, assistant professor in endocrinology, diabetes and general medicine at the Institute of Applied Health Research at University of Birmingham in the U.K., and consultant in endocrinology, diabetes and general medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, told Healio. “If left untreated, body image issues can result in body dysmorphic disorder, a mental health disease in which a person spends a lot of time stressing about imperfections in their looks. This will impact their quality of life and productivity in the society. They may also have increased risk of developing eating disorders like anorexia or bulimia.”
Researchers searched the MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science and Central databases for studies with validated questionnaires on body dysmorphic disorders. Databases were searched through July 2022. Responses of women with PCOS were compared with those without PCOS. Weighted mean difference in scores were compared between the two groups if the mean and standard deviation of the outcomes were presented in the original article.
The meta-analysis included nine studies, in which there were a combined 918 women with PCOS and 865 women without PCOS. Three studies using Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire – Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS) found women with PCOS had worse appearance evaluation scores (P < .00001) and appearance orientation scores (P < .004) than women without PCOS. In meta-analysis of two studies using subscales of the MBSRQ-AS, the PCOS group had higher overweight preoccupation (P < .001), body areas satisfactions (P < .001) and body weight classification (P < .001) than those without PCOS. Two studies using the Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults found lower scores for the weight subscale among adults with PCOS than those without PCOS (P = .03). No differences between the two groups were found for appearance and attribution subscales.
Kempegowda said there was a lack of uniformity across the questionnaires in the meta-analysis, and a more definitive questionnaire to assess body image concerns in women with PCOS is needed.
“We need to understand how experiences across different ethnicities and socioeconomic status affects the development of body image concerns,” Kempegowda said. “We also have to explore how health care professionals across the world address body image concerns. Combining these two will be helpful to develop a bespoke guideline to treat body image concerns.”
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Kempegowda P, et al. SAT-373. Presented at: ENDO annual meeting; June 15-18, 2023; Chicago.
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