The effectiveness of psychological interventions for reducing poor body image in endometriosis, PCOS and other gynaecological conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Melissa J Pehlivan, Pehlivan MJ, Melissa Pehlivan, Sherman, Kerry, Kerry A Sherman, Viviana Wuthrich, Viviana M. Wuthrich, Gandhi E, Esther Gandhi, Zagic D, Dino Zagic, Emily Kopp, Valentina Perica
Health psychology review · 2023 · vol. 18(2) , pp. 341–368 · doi:10.1080/17437199.2023.2245020 · PMID:37675797 · W4386506178
Systematic review / meta-analysis OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 4 in-corpus citations
View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This systematic review and meta-analysis found that psychological interventions moderately reduced body image concerns in individuals with gynecological conditions, though with a high risk of bias and moderate heterogeneity.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Gynaecological conditions (e.g., endometriosis, PCOS) result in bodily changes that negatively impact body image. Psychological interventions (e.g., CBT, psychoeducation) have shown promise in reviews with the general population for alleviating body image concerns. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide asynthesis of the impact of psychological interventions for reducing body image concerns for individuals with gynaecological conditions. Electronic databases were searched for relevant psychological intervention studies with body image outcomes. Twenty-one eligible studies were included in the systematic review (ten were included in a random-effects meta-analysis). Studies included participants (N = 1483, M = 71.85, SD = 52.79) with a range of gynaecological conditions, ages (Mage = 35.08, SD = 12.17) and cultural backgrounds. Most included studies reported at least one positive effect with the meta-analysis indicating psychological interventions were moderately superior to control conditions for reducing body image concerns (SMD -.41, 95% CI [-0.20 -0.62]). However, there was a high risk of bias and moderate heterogeneity. Results suggest psychological interventions may hold promise for reducing body image concerns among individuals gynaecological conditions in the short term. Further, preliminary support was found for the use of theory-guided psychological interventions delivered in group settings in particular, with further research needed on optimal intervention length and particular psychotherapeutic approach.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image Body Image

Citation neighborhood (2-hop)

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. Outer rings show 2-hop neighbours — papers reached through the immediate citers/citees. [ collapse to 1-hop ]

References (100)

Cited by (6)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-10-11T09:27:45.537177+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-05-11T04:46:52.128148+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-10-11T06:13:04.888747+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-10-11T06:28:45.473802+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK