Date of Award

Summer 7-20-2026

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Jennifer Harris- [email protected]

Second Advisor

Kristi Frisbee- [email protected]

Third Advisor

Julie Dainty- [email protected]

Abstract

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disorder that affects many women starting at puberty and continuing through to menopause. This disorder causes a lot of issues, such as facial hair, obesity, irregular menses, cysts on the ovaries, and insulin resistance. It can also, however, cause other long-term effects like metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular complications, kidney disease, and type II diabetes if not properly treated. The traditional treatment for PCOS is metformin, which helps the body use the insulin that it produces to control symptoms of PCOS. However, most women continue to have symptoms, and they are not aware that glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1s) medications can also help them. These medications were initially made to treat diabetes; however, they have been found to have an added benefit for women who suffer from PCOS (Bader et al., 2024; Bednarz et al., 2022; Szczesnowicz et al., 2023).  The primary concern is that providers and patients do not have enough education to understand how these medications can help these women. Further education is needed to help women know that they do not have to continue suffering in silence and can have medicines that, in the long run, can potentially decrease other co-morbidities.

Keywords:  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s)

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