Doctors only blame the patients: a systems analysis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Purpose This study is conducted to understand an emerging public health problem in the garb of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) that affects about 6–21% of women in reproductive age from a systems perspective. Design/methodology/approach The research is conducted in two phases. In phase 1, 15 women suffering from PCOS were interviewed to generate a knowledge map using an interpretive phenomenological research approach. The emerging themes were divided into four categories, namely individual, familial, societal, organizational, medical and systemic. In phase 2, five workshops were conducted with six invited actors to generate a causal loop diagram (CLD) of PCOS. The Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) are used in this study. Findings A CLD from an individual's perspective with implications on organizational, societal and system levels. Research limitations/implications Awareness of “lifestyle diseases” is increasing, and this research shall help future studies put PCOS in the larger psychosocial context. The geographical location of respondents can be a limitation, as the causal linkages could only be true for the research site. Practical implications The CLD provides a comprehensive understanding of complex emerging phenomenon of PCOS. Social implications The paper draws attention to factors such as frequently changing doctors, withdrawal from work, medication fatigue, inclination to adopt due to infertility, etc. Originality/value This is the first such paper laying out the causal relationships between factors at the individual levels and connecting them to societal, organizational and system levels. This mapping can be useful for policymakers and industry leaders to empathize with PCOS sufferers so that their working conditions can be managed better.