Editorial and sources policy.

Our evidence hierarchy

When sources disagree, we weight them in this order:

1. Evidence-based clinical guidelines, above all the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of PCOS (Teede et al., 2023), and specialty guidelines such as the Endocrine Society’s hirsutism guideline.
2. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses, including Cochrane reviews.
3. Randomised controlled trials.
4. Observational studies, clearly labelled as showing association, not cause.
5. Public-health and professional bodies — NIH (NICHD, NIDDK, NLM), CDC, FDA, WHO, ACOG, NHS — for patient-facing context.

We don’t cite anecdotes, influencer content or manufacturer marketing as evidence.

Citation standards

• Every article ends with a numbered list of sources, linked to the original via DOI or the publishing organisation.
• Every research citation is verified against PubMed (title, journal, year and DOI) before publication. Every web source is checked to be live.
• When we report a number, we report it as the source states it — including the limits the authors describe.
• Where evidence is weak, small or conflicting, we say so in plain language.

Language rules for health content

• We never say PCOS can be “cured” or permanently “reversed”. We describe managing PCOS and improving symptoms, because that’s what the evidence supports.
• We never diagnose, and we never advise starting, stopping or changing a medication. We explain options so you can discuss them with your clinician.
• We write inclusively for every body size and every goal, consistent with the guideline’s position on weight stigma.

Who writes and checks our content

Articles are researched and written by The PCOS Companion editorial team, then checked line by line against each cited source before publishing. We do not currently have a licensed clinician reviewing our articles, and we don’t display “medically reviewed” badges. If that changes, we’ll name the reviewer, their credentials and the date of review on each page.

Updates and review dates

Every article shows a “last reviewed” date. We re-check articles when a major guideline or high-quality review is published, and at least once a year. Substantive changes update that date.

Corrections

If you spot an error, email support@thecompanionguide.com with the page and the issue. We aim to review reports within five business days and correct verified errors promptly.

Independence and conflicts of interest

We sell one product: the Companion guide (and an optional add-on). We don’t sell supplements, use affiliate links, accept sponsorship or advertising from health companies, or take payment for coverage. Where an article mentions our own guide, it’s labelled as ours.

AI and tools

We may use software tools, including AI writing assistants, for drafting and editing. Our policy is that every claim is checked against its cited source before publication, and a person is accountable for every page we publish.