Most of you will have seen the clip on BBC Breakfast television this week where 2 women with PCOS shared their personal experiences of PCOS. This takes courage. PCOS is not well known, despite being the most common endocrine problem in women. This lack of knowledge also leads to a lack of understanding of how the disease affects us. While the video generated many positive and supportive comments, there were some negative ones. We won’t repeat any of them here, save to say that they tried to diminish the experience of this disease on these women. Some of the symptoms of PCOS impact our mental health. Addressing these symptoms can help women. Even today many women with PCOS are not able to get access to costly laser hair removal or electrolysis on the NHS. We think this is unfair and have started a petition to call for action. You can sign it here
PCOS Vitality seeks to change this by raising awareness of the psychological impact that PCOS has on us and how it is a condition that needs to be taken more seriously. We should not be afraid to speak out, but we are. We know there are a lot of things going on in the world but this is our world…PCOS affects our everyday lives. It is not “just cosmetic”.
A separate discussion on social media this week also raised this issue, where a debate ensued on whether PCOS is “benign”. The discussion involved many different doctors. It highlights that even within the medical profession there is a lack of awareness of the long term consequences of PCOS. We understand PCOS is a syndrome and yes not everyone gets every symptom or complication, but how do we know? So here at PCOS Vitality we would urge everyone to listen more to women with PCOS. Understanding PCOS isn’t easy…we are still on that journey too. Hair on our skin is just the tip of the iceberg.
© PCOS Vitality
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