Usage of mobile health interventions among overweight/obese PCOS patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telemedicine is a promising tool for providing clinical care for patients. Since the first-line treatment for infertile women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is lifestyle modification, a mobile-based service that provides lifestyle modification education would be helpful in the treatment of PCOS patients. In this observational study, the effect of a mobile Health (mHealth) application for lifestyle modification on PCOS patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment was evaluated.

Methods: A total of 79 overweight/obese patients (40 in the paper group and 39 in the WeChat application group) with PCOS from the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China were enrolled in the study. The changes in the outcomes of BMI and ART treatment were analyzed between the two groups.

Results: After three months of intervention, the BMIs in the control and mHealth groups were 24.5 ± 3.3 and 23.7 ± 3.1, respectively. The percentage of patients who lost weight was higher in the WeChat group than in the control group (87.2% vs. 67.5%). Furthermore, PCOS patients in the WeChat group were found to have a higher live birth rate than those in the control group (p = 0.005).

Conclusion: Lifestyle modifications for PCOS patients undergoing ART treatment using the WeChat application improved weight loss and oocyte quality. Infertile patients with PCOS were more likely to make lifestyle modifications based on the usage of mobile applications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

摘要

目的

在新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)大流行的背景下, 远程医疗是一个为患者提供临床照护的有前景的工具。由于患有多囊卵巢综合征(PCOS)的不孕症妇女的一线治疗是生活方式的调整, 因此基于移动服务提供生活方式调整相关方面的教育将有助于PCOS患者的治疗。在这项观察性研究中, 对正在接受辅助生殖技术(ART)治疗的PCOS患者接受移动健康(mHealth)APP提供的生活方式调整的效果进行评价。

方法

共79例来自中国科技大学第一附属医院的超重/肥胖PCOS患者(纸质组40例, 微信APP组39例)纳入研究。分析两组BMI和ART治疗结果的变化。

结果

干预3个月后, 对照组和mHealth组的BMIs分别为24.5±3.3、23.7±3.1。微信组患者体重减轻的百分比高于对照组(87.2% vs. 67.5%)。此外, 微信组PCOS患者的活产率高于对照组(p= 0.005)。

结论

在接受ART治疗的PCOS患者中, 应用微信APP程序调整生活方式可以促进体重减轻和改善卵母细胞质量。COVID-19疫情期间, PCOS不孕症患者更有可能应用移动应用程序来调整生活方式。

Keywords:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• mobile application
• lifestyle modification
• assisted reproductive technology
• COVID-19

关键词:

• 多囊卵巢综合征
• 移动应用程序
• 生活方式调整
• 辅助生殖技术
• 新型冠状病毒肺炎

Acknowledgment

We are indebted to Wenlu Yu from the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China and Zhiping Zhu from the People’s Hospital of Gaochun for their valuable contributions to the data collection.

Author contributions

MYS designed the research study. MYS, QW, YYT, FFH, LLL, WTZ, and AXL contributed to the data acquisition. MYS analyzed the data. MYS and SB wrote the paper. All of the authors approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (81901543).