PLYMOUTH UNIVERSITY - FACULTY OF HEALTH  
INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANTS  

Name of Principal Investigator:   Skye Gregory
Dissertation Supervisor: Dr Jaysan Charlesford 
Title of Research: Effect of painful periods on study and workplace experiences.

Research question: How does primary dysmenorrhea (painful periods) and other gynaecological issues, such as endometriosis or PCOS (diagnosed or self-diagnosed) affect menstruating individuals within the workplace and study environments?

This research aims to investigate the experiences of individuals who have experienced menstruation, with specific interest on how experiences of pain in relation to diagnosis or self-diagnosis (or not) of PCOS or endometriosis have impacted their workplace and studying experiences.

As a participant what will be expected of me? 
Online survey: You will be asked if you wish to take part in an online survey, which consists of demographic questions and multiple choice questions. Overall, the survey should take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete. If you do not wish to do it in one sitting, then by keeping the tab open on your device, you should be able to pick up where you left off on the questionnaire.

What will be involved in the study?
You will first be asked to read this information sheet. If you are happy to continue, you will be asked to read and agree to a consent form. After the consent form is agreed to, you will complete the questionnaire. During the questionnaire, if there are any questions that you do not wish to answer, then please pick the neutral option. If you feel any distress during the study, please feel free to take a break from the questionnaire, and if you wish, you can withdraw from the study at any point without repercussions. The questionnaire data will be recorded with your permission and will be saved to be analysed at a later date. All the information will be anonymised through the use of a unique identifier, which you will be given instructions on how to create following the consent form. After the questionnaire is completed, you will be shown a de-brief sheet outlining further details of the study.  It is important to restate that you can withdraw from the study at any point without repercussions.   

What are the risks and benefits of taking part in this study? 
There are no physical risks from this study. However, some of the questions covered in the questionnaire may be understandably sensitive to you and have the potential to cause distress. You may take a break at any point, or withdraw from the study, if you feel the questions are causing you undue stress. The benefits of participating in this research are that you will be contributing to an important area of research that has had little investigation. Namely, how primary dysmenorrhea and other gynaecological issues impact workplace and study experiences. This has the potential to provide a better evidence base to support individuals through these experiences and ensure that if any issues are identified in support, they do not happen again.

Confidentiality and anonymity.
All data collected will be anonymised with only your unique participant identifier linking you to your data (your name and details will not be linked to this unique ID). Data will be stored in a password protected computer or an encrypted USB. The data will be kept for 10 years, in accordance with University of Plymouth policy.

Will my participation in this study affect my relationship with University of Plymouth?
In no way will your participation or withdrawal from this study affect your relationship with University of Plymouth.

Can I withdraw from the study?
You have the right to stop participating by closing this questionnaire at any point, and can withdraw from this study formally by contacting Skye Gregory to have your data removed, at any point up until 01/07/24, as this is one month before the dissertation in which the data is being used for is due. Furthermore, any data that is collected will only be used with your permission.
If you wish to withdraw your data from this study, please feel free to contact the principal investigator Skye Gregory: skye.gregory@students.plymouth.ac.uk

Further information.
For any further questions on this study please feel free to contact the principal investigator Skye Gregory: skye.gregory@students.plymouth.ac.uk

If you are dissatisfied with the way the research is conducted, please contact the principal investigator in the first instance: skye.gregory@students.plymouth.ac.uk or  dissertation supervisor: jaysan.charlesford@plymouth.ac.uk. 

If you feel the problem has not been resolved please contact the admin team to the Faculty of Health Ethics Committee: Maurice Bottomley and Becky Anderson FOHEthics@plymouth.ac.uk