Vibhuti Rao

Culturally appropriate lifestyle medicine model for managing PCOS: the role of Ayurveda and yoga

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a highly prevalent and complex disorder amongst Indian women with resultant challenging metabolic and reproductive consequences. PCOS has no cure and there is a need for alternative, sustainable, and effective lifestyle options. Lifestyle modification is the first-line treatment of PCOS, however has limited research.

Ayurveda and yoga are traditional medicinal systems originated in Indian sub-continent, are now popular worldwide for their effect in managing various chronic and lifestyle-related. A lifestyle program called 'healthAY PCOS', constituting the Ayurvedic diet and yoga therapy (AY) based on Ayurvedic principles may help reduce weight and improve metabolic and reproductive outcomes in women with PCOS.

This exploratory, sequential and mixed-method study will be conducted in Australia and India, aiming to present a standard AY lifestyle program and assess its feasibility, acceptability, and safety in ethnic Indian women with PCOS who are overweight/obese. This study will include a randomised feasibility trial of over 12-weeks. 

To our knowledge, this will be the first study to examine a combined lifestyle intervention including Ayurvedic diet and yoga to manage symptoms of PCOS. If this program proves to be effective, it may become a first-line treatment option for clinicians worldwide to provide a structured lifestyle program in ethnic Indian women with PCOS to help manage weight and improve PCOS related health outcomes.

Supervisors:

Dr Carolyn Ee; Dr Mike Armour; Dr Bobby Cheema; Professor Caroline Smith