MeDiApp-PCOS: A Mobile Mediterranean Diet App for Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (MeDiApp-PCOS)

Randomized Controlled Trial of a Mobile Application With Personalized Mediterranean Diet-Based Recommendations in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

This randomized clinical trial will test whether a mobile application with personalized Mediterranean diet-based recommendations can improve health outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome compared with standard lifestyle advice.

Participants will be assigned to either the mobile application group or the standard lifestyle advice group.

The primary outcomes are change in LDL cholesterol and change in body mass index after 3 months.

Secondary outcomes include changes in metabolic and hormonal measures, quality of life, treatment adherence, and ovulatory function assessed through 6 months.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mobile Application-Based Personalized Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Intervention; Behavioral: Standard Lifestyle Advice for PCOS

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Polina Popova, MD Phd; Phone Number: +79217424404; Email: popova_pv@almazovcentre.ru
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Elena Vasukova; Phone Number: +79811727490; Email: elenavasukova2@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female participants aged 18 to 45 years.
• Diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with an anovulatory phenotype according to the Rotterdam criteria (2003).

• Oligo-ovulation or anovulation, defined as menstrual cycle length greater than 35 days or fewer than 8 menstrual periods per year, together with at least one of the following:

  • Clinical and/or biochemical hyperandrogenism.
  • Polycystic ovarian morphology on ultrasound, defined as at least 20 follicles measuring 2 to 9 mm in either ovary and/or ovarian volume of at least 10 cm3.
• Possession of a smartphone compatible with the study application (Android or iOS).
• Ability and willingness to use the mobile application and comply with study procedures.
• Provision of written informed consent before any study-specific procedures are performed.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding at the time of enrollment.
• Planning pregnancy during the study period.
• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• Other endocrine disorders that may affect reproductive or metabolic function, including Cushing syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, androgen-secreting tumors, hyperprolactinemia, or uncontrolled thyroid disease.
• Severe liver disease, including cirrhosis or liver failure.
• Severe renal impairment, defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2.
• Severe cardiovascular disease, including unstable angina, myocardial infarction within the previous 6 months, or stroke within the previous 6 months.
• Use within the previous 3 months of medications that may affect body weight, carbohydrate metabolism, androgen status, or reproductive function, including metformin, oral contraceptives, antiandrogens, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or antagonists, clomiphene citrate, glucocorticoids, thiazolidinediones, or weight-loss drugs.
• Current or past eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder.
• Mental disorders or cognitive conditions that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude safe participation or compliance with study procedures.
• Participation in another clinical trial within the previous 3 months.
• Refusal or inability to provide written informed consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mobile Application With Personalized Mediterranean Diet-Based Recommendations; Participants randomized to this arm will receive access to a mobile application specifically developed for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. The application provides personalized dietary recommendations based on the Mediterranean diet, a system for tracking food intake and physical activity, automated feedback and motivational messages, weekly progress reports, and educational materials on PCOS and healthy lifestyle. Participants will be instructed to use the application daily for 6 months, including completion of nutrition and activity diaries and review of recommendations and feedback.	Behavioral: Mobile Application-Based Personalized Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Intervention; The intervention consists of a mobile application providing personalized Mediterranean diet-based nutrition plans, a food database with nutritional information, automatic calculation of caloric intake and macronutrient composition, monitoring of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity recommendations (including minimum weekly minutes of moderate aerobic activity and strength training), an activity diary with step tracking, automated feedback and motivational messages, weekly progress reports, push notifications with reminders, and educational materials on PCOS and healthy lifestyle. Participants are instructed to use the application daily for 6 months, to enter food intake and physical activity, and to review personalized feedback. The intervention aims to optimize dietary habits, increase physical activity, improve metabolic parameters, and support restoration of ovulatory function in women with PCOS.
Active Comparator: Standard Lifestyle Advice; Participants randomized to this arm will receive standard written recommendations for lifestyle modification in polycystic ovary syndrome, including principles of the Mediterranean diet, recommended foods and example menus, and physical activity recommendations. They will receive a one-time consultation with a dietitian at baseline with explanation of the recommendations and will be advised to keep a paper diary of nutrition and physical activity during the follow-up period. No access to the mobile application will be provided in this arm.	Behavioral: Standard Lifestyle Advice for PCOS; Standard care consisting of written lifestyle recommendations for women with polycystic ovary syndrome. This includes printed materials describing the Mediterranean diet (principles, recommended and discouraged foods, example menus), physical activity recommendations, and general educational information on PCOS and the importance of lifestyle changes. Participants will receive a one-time dietitian consultation at baseline to review the recommendations and will be advised to keep a paper diary of nutrition and physical activity throughout the follow-up period. No digital application or additional feedback system will be provided.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in LDL cholesterol from baseline to 3 months	Serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentration measured in mmol/L after an overnight fast	Baseline (Visit 1, Day 0) and Month 3 (Visit 2, Month 3 ± 7 days)
Change in body mass index (BMI) from baseline to 3 months	Body mass index calculated as weight (kg) divided by height (m²)	Baseline (Visit 1, Day 0) and Month 3 (Visit 2, Month 3 ± 7 days)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in fasting insulin and HOMA-IR from baseline to 3 months	Fasting serum insulin (μIU/mL) and insulin resistance assessed by HOMA-IR index, calculated as (fasting glucose × fasting insulin) / 22.5. Changes will be calculated as values at 3 months (Visit 2) minus baseline values (Visit 1)	Baseline (Visit 1) and Month 3 (Visit 2)
Change in triglycerides and HDL cholesterol from baseline to 3 months	Fasting serum triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol measured using standard enzymatic methods. Changes will be calculated as values at 3 months (Visit 2) minus baseline (Visit 1).	Baseline (Visit 1) and Month 3 (Visit 2)
Proportion of participants achieving at least 5% weight loss at 3 months	Percentage of participants with a reduction in body weight of ≥5% from baseline to 3 months. Weight is measured in light clothing without shoes. Proportion will be compared between groups using chi-square or Fisher's exact test.	Baseline (Visit 1) and Month 3 (Visit 2)
Change in total testosterone, free androgen index, androstenedione and SHBG from baseline to 3 months	Serum total testosterone, free androgen index (calculated), androstenedione and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) measured by immunochemiluminescence assays. Changes will be calculated as 3 month values minus baseline values.	Baseline (Visit 1) and Month 3 (Visit 2)
Change in inflammatory markers from baseline to 3 months	Inflammatory markers measured using standard assays. Changes are defined as 3 month values minus baseline values.	Baseline (Visit 1) and Month 3 (Visit 2)
Restoration of regular menstrual cycles during 3-6 months	Proportion of participants who achieve regular menstrual cycles, defined as cycle length 21-35 days, during the period between Month 3 and Month 6 of follow-up. Information will be collected from menstrual calendars reviewed at Visit 3.	From Month 3 to Month 6 (assessed at Visit 3, Month 6 ± 7 days)
Frequency of ovulatory cycles during 3-6 months	Number and proportion of ovulatory cycles per participant during the period from Month 3 to Month 6. Ovulation will be confirmed by serum progesterone >5 ng/mL on cycle days 21-23 and/or by ultrasound follicle monitoring when indicated.	From Month 3 to Month 6 (assessed at Visit 3, Month 6 ± 7 days)
Change in Mediterranean diet adherence score from baseline to 3 months	Adherence to the Mediterranean diet assessed by Mediterranean Diet Score questionnaire.	Baseline (Visit 1) and Month 3 (Visit 2)
Adherence to mobile application use at 3 months (main group only)	Adherence will be assessed as the percentage of days with completed nutrition diaries and the mean Mediterranean diet adherence score calculated automatically by the mobile application over the 3 month period.	From Day 0 to Month 3

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Federal State Budgetary Institution, V. A. Almazov Federal North-West Medical Research Centre, of the Ministry of Health

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): May 13, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 13, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 13, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urogenital Diseases; Genital Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Neoplasms; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Genital Diseases, Female; Ovarian Diseases; Adnexal Diseases; Gonadal Disorders; Ovarian Cysts; Cysts; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: 125042105343-8

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No