Evidence mapPaperPMID 42318079Full record

ReviewFrontiers in reproductive health2026

Yoga as a complementary intervention for polycystic ovary Syndrome management: a systematic review.

Rohit Gautam, Pratibha Maan, Amit Arora, Abilash Nair, Ashraf Ganie, Jayakumari Chellamma, Jayasree Leelamma, Puthiyaveettil Khadar Jabbar, Taruna Arora

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in reproductive health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Rohit GautamDivision of Reproductive Child Health and Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India.
Pratibha MaanDivision of Reproductive Child Health and Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India.
Amit AroraDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, India.
Abilash NairDepartment of Endocrinology, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Ashraf GanieDepartment of Endocrinology, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, SKIMS, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
Jayakumari ChellammaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Jayasree LeelammaDepartment of Radio Diagnosis, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Puthiyaveettil Khadar JabbarDepartment of Endocrinology, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
Taruna AroraDivision of Reproductive Child Health and Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a prevalent metabolic and reproductive disorder, significantly impacts women of reproductive age. The conventional approach offers various symptomatic pharmacological interventions for PCOS, but some of them have adverse effects too. In this context, yoga has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological complementary approach. Aim: This systematic review aims to explore the therapeutic potential of yoga for managing PCOS with a focus on anthropometric, metabolic, endocrine, and psychological outcomes. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across three databases i.e., PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus on 17.1.2025. Screening of articles was performed by two authors in two step process. Risk of Bias (RoB) of each study was assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias version 2.0 (RoB 2). Due to high heterogeneity among studies in terms of type of intervention, duration, outcomes measured etc., meta-analysis could not be performed. Results: Of the 303 studies initially identified, 9 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. However, four of these were conducted by the same research group and were considered as a single study in the analysis. Yoga interventions, such as asanas (physical postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises), demonstrated improvement in PCOS symptoms including anthropometric (weight, BMI, hip circumference), metabolic (insulin resistance, serum insulin, fasting blood glucose and lipid profile), endocrine (hirsutism, free testosterone, Anti-mullerian hormone, Luteinizing hormone, Dehydroepiandrosterone etc.), menstrual and psychological outcomes. Meditation and mindfulness-based interventions may help to improve mainly psychological symptoms such as body image, stress, anxiety, depression and quality of life etc. However, it is important to note that there were very few number of studies, that too with lots of heterogeneity, low sample size, diverse outcomes; therefore generalizability of this evidence are limited. Conclusion: Yoga is a promising non-pharmacological complementary intervention for PCOS management that may offer diverse benefits for anthropometric, endocrine, metabolic and psychological health. However, further clinical trials with robust protocol, large sample size and standardized yoga protocol are essential to establish its long-term efficacy and integration into routine PCOS care. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261286708, identifier CRD420261286708.

Indexed as

complementary therapyMeditationMindfulness-based therapynon-pharmaceuticalPolycystic Ovary SyndromeYoga

Identifiers

PMID42318079
PMCPMC13272381

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.