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Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that affects women’s menstrual cycles, androgen (male hormones) levels, and cysts on the ovaries. This endocrine disorder has various symptoms, with insulin resistance as a hallmark symptom. Approximately 65-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, whether or not they are overweight, obese, or lean (Marshall & Dunaif, 2012). Many women with PCOS struggle to lose weight because their excess weight is related to nutrition, lifestyle factors, and imbalanced hormones. Understanding PCOS as a metabolic disorder with nutritional implications led to investigating the potential benefit of having registered dietitian nutritionists (RDN) as part of the healthcare team of women with PCOS. We developed a survey based on the literature on PCOS, diet/nutrition interventions, and the role of RDNs in the healthcare team of PCOS women of childbearing age. Only childbearing-age women (18–44) diagnosed with PCOS were eligible to complete the survey. The survey was designed as a needs assessment to determine if women with PCOS are routinely referred to RDNs for support; whether or not such support is beneficial; and what gaps in knowledge or misconceptions about nutrition and PCOS exist among participants. Most importantly, it was designed to examine if women understand how nutrition relates to managing their PCOS symptoms and future disease risks. The data from this survey shows the need for RDNs on the healthcare team of women with PCOS and gives us an understanding of nutrition education interventions that could be developed for future studies. Understanding how RDNs play a role in symptom management could lead to a better quality of life for women with PCOS.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that affects women’s menstrual cycles and their levels of androgens (male hormones) and cysts on the ovaries. There is a variety of symptoms that come with this endocrine disorder, but insulin resistance is a hallmark symptom of the disorder. It’s shown that 65-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, this is in women that are overweight, obese, or lean (Marshall & Dunaif, 2012). A lot of women with PCOS find themselves struggling to lose weight because their excess weight is tied to lifestyle and not properly nourishing their bodies, as well as their imbalanced hormones. The understanding of PCOS being a metabolic disorder led to the investigation of the need for registered dietitian nutritionists on the health team of women with PCOS could change the quality of life in women. We developed a survey based on the literature available on the topic of PCOS, diet/nutrition interventions, and the role of RDNs in the healthcare team of PCOS women of childbearing age. Only childbearing-age women (18-44) that have been diagnosed with PCOS were allowed to complete the survey. The survey was comprised of three sections and was designed to be a needs assessment on the need for registered dietitian-nutritionists to be included in the healthcare team of PCOS women. The questions were designed also show any gaps of knowledge or misconceptions about nutrition that these women may have. Lastly, it was designed to examine if women understand how nutrition relates to the management of their symptoms of PCOS and future disease risks. The data from this survey will show the need for RDNs in the healthcare team of PCOS women, and give us an understanding of nutrition education and intervention that could be developed for future studies. This understanding of how RDNs could play a role in symptom management could lead to a better quality of life in PCOS women.