Study title

Writings of People with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) 2025

Dataset ID Number

FSD4042

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4042
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4042

Data Type

Qualitative

Authors

• Koskela, Riikka (University of Turku)

Abstract

The data consists of writings in which the respondents describe their experiences related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The data was originally collected for a master's thesis that examined the experiences of women living with PCOS regarding the stigma associated with womanhood.

The invitation to write asked participants to share their personal experiences related to the condition and to reflect on the situations in which they had experienced stigma directed at women due to their PCOS symptoms. Respondents were also asked to consider what had caused the stigma in that particular situation, how they reacted to it, and how they would have liked others to react. People were welcome to respond even if they did not have a PCOS diagnosis or if their gender identity was other than female. The call for submissions also provided some guiding questions to assist with the responses.

As background information, respondents were asked about their age, gender, and whether they knew they had PCOS in the situation described in the writing.

Keywords

diseases; femininity; gynaecology; medical care; patients; women; women's health

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Specific diseases, disorders and medical conditions (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Reproductive health (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Koskela, Riikka (University of Turku)

Collection Dates

2025-10-27 – 2025-11-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

People with experience of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

Collection Mode

Self-administered writings and/or diaries: Web-based (Penna textual data collection tool)

Research Instrument

Data collection guidelines: Self-administered writings guide

Data Files

37 writings in txt format. Additionally, the data were organised into an easy to use HTML version and a CSV version.

Data File Language

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

Qualitative data are available in their original language only and are not translated.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

In FSD, information about place of residence was removed from the archived writings.

A total of 39 writings were collected, of which 37 were approved by the authors for archiving.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Koskela, Riikka (University of Turku): Writings of People with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) 2025 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2026-02-11). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4042; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4042

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Koskela, Riikka (2025) ”En sovi siihen kuvaan naisesta, jota yhteiskunta odottaa” : Mikrotunnustuksellinen analyysi munasarjojen monirakkulaoireyhtymää sairastavien stigmakokemuksista. Sosiologian pro gradu -tutkielma, Turun yliopisto.