September is national Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome month. According to womenshealth.gov, “Between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20 women of childbearing age has PCOS. As many as 5 million women in the United States may be affected. It can occur in girls as young as 11 years old.” A hormonal imbalance in the female body, where an overproduction of androgens(male hormones) is made is a factor as well.
Although females too produce androgens, it is when too much is produced within the ovaries, that ovulation is disrupted. PCOSupport.org lists symptoms as being, “irregular or no menstrual periods, acne, depression, infertility, excess or abnormal hair growth and distribution, and more.” Although there is no cure for PCOS, there are treatments to help ease the pain and prevent “progression of PCOS to frank diabetes, endometrial cancer, or other threatening illnesses” (PCOSupport.org). Bringing about awareness, educating ourselves, young daughters, and supporting one another is vital.
Sasha Ottey, a former microbiologist, was diagnosed with PCOS in 2008. Instead of being down on herself, she was proactive and did something about it. In 2009, she started PCOS Challenge,Inc., a non profit organization that acts as a community for women living with PCOS. In order to trump more awareness and support on a larger scale, PCOS Challenge will be airing a thirteen-episode tv series, showing the day in the life of ten women living with PCOS. Find out more about the organization and about the show that will be airing this fall. Giving up is not an option, fighting to get your life back and live a full, long and healthy life is the goal.
View a sneak peak of the show here.
