Lifestyle management is the behavioral modification of aspects central to the treatment, mitigation, and remission of symptoms in chronic illnesses. It is a holistic approach to health and requires cooperation from patients, providers, and support networks to implement positive change in the lives of those living with an incurable condition. 

Lifestyle Management

Attrition refers to the loss of participants during a study. This is a particularly significant issue in longitudinal research, where dropout rates are often high and tend to increase as the study progresses over time. Participants may leave a study for numerous reasons, including major life events like moving, marriage, illness, or death, or they may simply decide to stop participating. This reduction in participants can threaten a study's validity, introduce bias, and weaken the power of its statistical conclusions.

Attrition

As a chronic condition, PCOS requires lifelong monitoring and maintenance. Some challenges patients and providers face in creating a long-term treatment plan include:
- Attrition
- Stigma
- Lack of health literacy
- Poor relationship between patient and provider
- Distressing symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities

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Symptoms of PCOS include; infertility, mental health issues, hirsutism, insulin resistance, absence of menstruation, obesity, acne, and more.

PCOS Symptoms

Ee, C., Pirotta, S., Mousa, A., Moran, L., & Lim, S. (2021). Providing lifestyle advice to women with PCOS: An overview of practical issues affecting success. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-021-00890-8

Providing lifestyle advice to women with PCOS: An overview of practical issues affecting success

Infertility refers to the concept that pregnancy happens infrequently and the failure of conception between couples. This term can be used interchangeably with sterility.

Infertility

Excess testosterone, also known as hyperandrogenism, is the primary source of hormonal dysregulation in people with PCOS. A common misconception is that PCOS is caused by hypoestrogenism, or low estrogen; in fact, the fluctuations of both hormones and the body's attempt to compensate for them are the reason for symptoms. 

Excess Testosterone

Due to unwanted symptoms, such as excess body and facial hair, obesity and excess adipose tissue concentrated in the midsection, male patterned baldness, painful cystic acne, and irregular menstruation, many people with PCOS develop poor self-esteem and body image. Common psychiatric comorbidities include depression, anxiety, OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, borderline personality disorder, and more.

 Women with PCOS are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide than women without PCOS.

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