{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,7]],"date-time":"2026-11-07T01:03:30Z","timestamp":1794013410898,"version":"4.8.0"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"Royal College of General Practitioners","issue":"694","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Br J Gen Pract"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common lifelong metabolic condition with serious associated comorbidities. Evidence points to a delay in diagnosis and inconsistency in the information provided to women with PCOS.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>To capture women\u2019s experiences of how PCOS is diagnosed and managed in UK general practice.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design and setting<\/jats:title><jats:p>This was a mixed-methods study with an online questionnaire survey and semi-structured telephone interviews with a subset of responders.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method<\/jats:title><jats:p>An online survey to elicit women\u2019s experiences of general practice PCOS care was promoted by charities and BBC Radio Leicester. The survey was accessible online between January 2018 and November 2018. A subset of responders undertook a semi-structured telephone interview to provide more in-depth data.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>A total of 323 women completed the survey (average age 35.4 years) and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 women. There were five key themes identified through the survey responses. Participants described a variable lag time from presentation to PCOS diagnosis, with a median of 6\u201312 months. Many had experienced mental health problems associated with their PCOS symptoms, but had not discussed these with the GP. Many were unable to recall any discussion about associated comorbidities with the GP. Some differences were identified between the experiences of women from white British backgrounds and those from other ethnic backgrounds.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>From the experiences of the women in this study, it appears that PCOS in general practice is not viewed as a long-term condition with an increased risk of comorbidities including mental health problems. Further research should explore GPs\u2019 awareness of comorbidities and the differences in PCOS care experienced by women from different ethnic backgrounds.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3399\/bjgp20x708881","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,10]],"date-time":"2020-03-10T04:20:22Z","timestamp":1583814022000},"page":"e322-e329","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":51,"title":["Women\u2019s experiences of diagnosis and management of polycystic ovary syndrome: a mixed-methods study in general practice"],"prefix":"10.3399","volume":"70","author":[{"given":"Sarah 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syndrome","volume":"109","author":"Dokras","year":"2018","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"2021021209001712000_70.694.e322.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD007506.pub3."},{"issue":"3","key":"2021021209001712000_70.694.e322.7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1002542","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmed.1002542","article-title":"Polycystic ovary syndrome, androgen excess, and the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in women: a longitudinal study based on a United Kingdom primary care database","volume":"15","author":"Kumarendran","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS Med"},{"key":"2021021209001712000_70.694.e322.8","unstructured":"NHS Overview: polycystic ovary syndrome 2019 https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos (accessed 26 Feb 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