Survivor Syndrome and Work Productivity in Women with PCOS/PCOD: A Narrative Review

Zia Mirza; Harini J M; Ayushi Shah; Sushmitha R Shenoy

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.80837

Survivor Syndrome and Work Productivity in Women with PCOS/PCOD: A Narrative Review

Author(s)	Ms. Zia Mirza, Ms. Harini J M, Ms. Ayushi Shah, Ms. Sushmitha R Shenoy
Country	India
Abstract	Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD) are chronic endocrine conditions that extend beyond reproductive and metabolic dysfunction, exerting significant psychological, cognitive, and occupational impacts on affected women. Although existing literature has documented emotional distress, fatigue, and reduced quality of life, the broader psychological patterns through which women sustain functioning under persistent health-related stress remain underexplored. One such pattern is survivor syndrome, characterised by emotional exhaustion, hypervigilance, guilt, fear of underperformance, and sustained pressure to maintain productivity despite compromised well-being.This narrative review synthesises interdisciplinary literature from women’s health, neuroendocrinology, occupational psychology, and neuropsychology to examine the conceptual relevance of survivor syndrome in the context of PCOS/PCOD. A comprehensive literature search was undertaken across ScienceDirect, American Heart Association Journals, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar, with Mendeley used for reference management and citation organisation. The evidence indicates that hormonal dysregulation, chronic fatigue, and sustained activation of stress-response systems, particularly the HPA axis, are linked to impairments in attention, executive functioning, and cognitive efficiency. These disruptions are consistently associated with cognitive fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and reduced work productivity. Despite its relevance, survivor syndrome remains largely absent from empirical PCOS/PCOD research. Integrating this construct into existing frameworks underscores the hidden neurocognitive and productivity-related burden experienced by women and supports the need for interdisciplinary approaches, improved clinical recognition, and gender-sensitive workplace policies.
Keywords	PCOS, PCOD, Survivor Syndrome, Narrative Review, Cognitive Fatigue, Work Productivity, Presenteeism, Women’s Mental Health
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-06-08
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.80837

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Survivor Syndrome and Work Productivity in Women with PCOS/PCOD: A Narrative Review

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