Name
Health Impacts of Medical Invalidation on Postpartum Individuals with PCOS
Location Name
Grand Foyer (4th Floor)
Description

Previous research reports that pregnant and postpartum individuals with a history of chronic illness, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), often experience invalidation in medical settings. This presentation will discuss the results and implications of an online survey examining the relationship between invalidating communication by healthcare providers and the outcomes of pregnancy and birth complications, postpartum depression, and postpartum anxiety. Study findings will illustrate whether individuals with PCOS face an increased risk of poor perinatal health due to their negative healthcare experiences.

Speakers
Shalini Venkat, MA
Co-Authors
Vinaya Thomas, MA, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Candidate, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Julia Dodd, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Content Level
All Audience
Tags
Patient-centered care or Patient perspectives, Research and evaluation, Social determinants of health or SDoH
Session Type
Poster
Objective 1
Identify the health impacts of invalidating communication by healthcare providers for postpartum- and PCOS-specific populations.
Objective 2
Understand the need for greater research regarding patient-centered communication practices for marginalized groups.
Objective 3
Generate ideas for improving the use of validating communication among healthcare providers.
Content Reference 1

Alur-Gupta, S., Boland, M. R., Barnhart, K. T., Sammel, M. D., & Dokras, A. (2021). Postpartum complications increased in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 224(3), 280.e1-280.e13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2020.08.048

Content Reference 2

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2018). ACOG committee opinion number 736: Optimizing postpartum care. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 131(5). https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0000000000002633

Content Reference 3

Hutchens, J., Frawley, J., & Sullivan, E. A. (2022). The healthcare experiences of women with cardiac disease in pregnancy and postpartum: A qualitative study. Health Expectations, 25(4), 1872–1881. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13532

Content Reference 4

Kim, A. E., Lee, I. T., Ottey, S., & Dokras, A. (2024). Lack of adequate counseling about pregnancy complications in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: A cross-sectional survey study. F&S Reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xfre.2024.05.004

Content Reference 5

Street, R. L., Makoul, G., Arora, N. K., & Epstein, R. M. (2009). How does communication heal? Pathways linking clinician–patient communication to health outcomes. Patient Education and Counseling, 74(3), 295–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2008.11.015