What exercise is best for PCOS? – Verity – The PCOS charity

This post has been provided by the research team, please approach them directly with questions or to apply. Verity has cited the ethics approval for this study.

We are looking for women aged 16-50 years to take part in our research study. The study is investigating cardiometabolic, mental, cognitive and brain health in women with PCOS compared to women without the condition. Exercise is commonly prescribed to women with PCOS, but what type of exercise is best for managing certain aspects of the condition remains unclear. Recently, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been suggested to be a time-efficient way of improving fitness, mood and brain function. However, this is not known in women with PCOS. Therefore, we are investigating the impact of a single bout of both moderate-intensity (MISS) or high-intensity (HIIT) exercise to understand their respective effects on brain function, and whether this is different between women with and without PCOS. We aim to conduct a randomised, crossover design comparing both exercise types in 20 women with PCOS, and 20 women without the condition.

The study will be held at the School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC). It will involve approximately 12 hours of your time over 5 assessment visits. In these visits, we will assess cardiovascular fitness, cardiometabolic health, brain structure and function in response to both HIIT and MISS exercise. All exercise will be conducted on a stationary bike. All who complete the study assessments will receive a personalised aerobic training zone plan.

If you are interested in taking part, or would like further information, please contact Professor Aled Rees at ReesDA@cardiff.ac.uk.