PCOS: Why Your Cycle Data and Tests Matter to Research

Every figure in this guide comes from a published source, linked where it appears and kept in CureCircle's evidence base with the source's own words. It is not medical advice. Read on 7 November 2026.

Polycystic ovary syndrome shows up differently from one woman to the next: irregular cycles for one, acne or hair growth for another, weight changes, fertility problems, mood. That variety is part of why it is hard to diagnose and why treatments that help one person do little for another. A cycle app, a few years of blood tests and a clear account of what was tried hold exactly the variation research on PCOS needs.

How many people live with it

The WHO estimates that "PCOS affects an estimated 10–13% of reproductive-aged women". The Global Burden of Disease study counted 65.77 million women aged 15 to 49 living with PCOS worldwide in 2021, and about 1.18 million new cases that year.

The records worth keeping

The international evidence-based guideline for PCOS describes the checks that leave records:

• Blood pressure, measured annually and when planning pregnancy or fertility treatment.
• Glucose tests: a fasting glucose, HbA1c or glucose tolerance test, reassessed every one to three years depending on diabetes risk.
• A fasting lipid profile at diagnosis, with later tests guided by the results.
• A glucose tolerance test when planning pregnancy, and repeated at 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Beside these, hormone results from diagnosis, ultrasound reports and your own cycle tracking show the pattern over months and years. If you do not have your results, ask your practice or clinic for a copy.

What sharing it is worth

CureCircle values every contribution with a public benchmark built from what health data has sold for. A complete PCOS story with the records the guideline lists comes to about $40 per licence on the benchmark today. With 90 days of cycle or symptom tracking added, it comes to about $254 per licence, because day-by-day records linked to tests and treatment are the kind of evidence research rarely gets. Every line and its source is on the PCOS page.

A licence is not a one-off sale: the same de-identified story can be licensed to several research teams, and you earn a share each time.

How to share it

You start by writing what you live with in your own words; a few quick questions follow, then an AI interviewer asks about the details only you know, such as how long a diagnosis took, and you rate every treatment you tried, from the pill to metformin to changes in diet and exercise. You can add test results, scan reports and exported cycle summaries as PDFs or photos, and the AI reads them into your own medical file. Before anything is shared, you read the de-identified summary and decide.

Start your story, or read what your health data is worth first.