PCOS Studies

Mom2Thaddeus · #1 (**permalink**) 11-11-2006, 02:57 PM

It's been a while since I've posted on SK, but I wanted to let you know some information about PCOS studies that are going on right now.

Some of you may remember that I participated in two PCOS studies. The first one was to help women with PCOS get pregnant and the other was for pregnant women with PCOS.

I got a call from the second study (The University of Northwestern in Chicago - no you do not have to live in the Chicago area) the other day and they are still running the study.

http://www.pcos.northwestern.edu/index.htm

Here's some information.

http://www.pcos.northwestern.edu/pre..._with_pcos.htm

Women who are pregnant and have PCOS

The primary focus of this study is to evaluate early hormonal and genetic markers of daughters of pregnant women with PCOS during the prenatal period and at birth. We also want to identify the genes that cause PCOS, to understand how PCOS develops, and how to diagnose PCOS at early age. We are looking for women with PCOS or irregular periods who are pregnant. You may be eligible to participate whether you live in the Chicago area, or anywhere in the United States.

If you do not live in the Chicago area, participation would not require any travel on your part. We would have a blood kit mailed directly to your home and make arrangements with your primary care physician (obstetrician) to have your blood drawn and sent to us along with the extra fluid from your amniocentesis, if this procedure will be scheduled by your physician. They would bill us directly for the blood draw and shipment of the samples back to our facilities at Northwestern University. Once the blood and amniotic fluid is sent back to us, we would perform various hormone and genetic analyses. We would do the same at your delivery. After your daughter is born, we will make arrangements with your physician to have the cord blood samples sent to us.

If you live in the Chicago area, you are eligible to participate in the national study (as detailed above) by having your blood drawn at Northwestern. If your primary care physician (obstetrician) is not on staff at Northwestern, we can arrange to receive the amniotic fluid (if an amniocentesis is scheduled by your physician) and the placenta and cord blood samples from your delivery at no cost to you.

If you are still interested, please give us a call at 1-800-847-6060 or go to Contact Us. Thank you for your interest in the PCOS study at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

This is the study I was in. There was really nothing to it, other than having some extra blood drawn from you after you give birth and a few blood samples from baby. They pay for everything and they even pay you. I think I received a $250 gift card for Babies R Us.

They also have a few other studies, info below.

This is for women who have or may have PCOS, you will need both of your parents to participate also, again you do not have to live in the Chicago area.

http://www.pcos.northwestern.edu/women_with_pcos.htm

Women who have or may have PCOS: Genetic and Insulin Action Study

The primary focus of this study is on women with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) or irregular periods, and whether certain genes may increase a person’s chance of getting PCOS. There is no treatment involved with participation in our research study.

We are looking for women with PCOS or irregular periods who are not on any form of oral contraceptives or hormone treatments. However, if you are currently taking oral contraceptives or other hormones, there may still be a way to include you in the study. If this is the case, and you are still interested, please give us a call. You may be eligible to participate whether you live in the Chicago area, or anywhere in the United States.

The basic criteria to participate in this study is that women need to be between the ages of 18 and 45, have 6 or fewer periods per year, and ideally have family members willing to participate. At a minimum, we need to have both of your biological parents willing to participate, and as many biological siblings as possible. If both parents are not able to participate, we would accept 1 parent and 2 siblings. The involvement for your family would include a one-time blood draw, which could be arranged at a hospital or clinic in their area. If your family is not able to participate, please call us because you may still be eligible for the study.

If you do not live in the Chicago area, participation would not require any travel on your part. We would have a blood kit mailed directly to your home and make arrangements with a local hospital or clinic to have your blood drawn. They would bill us directly for the blood draw and shipment of the samples back to our facilities at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Once the blood is sent back to us, we would perform various hormone and genetic analyses. If a woman is qualified as having PCOS in our study, we then need to get DNA samples from as many of her immediate family members as possible (parents and siblings) so that we can perform hormone and genetic analyses on their blood to trace the inheritance patterns of the syndrome.

If you live in the Chicago area, you are eligible to participate in the national study (as detailed above) by having your blood drawn at Northwestern, or we can arrange for you to go to a local hospital or clinic. There are additional studies that you may be interested in learning about if you live in the area.

If you are still interested, please give us a call at 1-800-847-6060 or go to Contact Us. Thank you for your interest in the PCOS study at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

There's also one that is for PCOS mothers of girls (I think ages around 12 years) that they are doing some test on the girls. I think on this one you have to be in the Chicago area. I'm not sure of the information on this study as they don't have it on the site but I was told by Jenny Schlinder about it. There is one other one, but I've forgotten what it is exactly.

If anyone is interested, please give them a call. I've dealt with Jenny Schlinder there and she is very nice.