PCOS Vitality were absolutely thrilled to be asked to participate in the ECPO Patient Lounge. ECPO works across Europe to improve the lives of people living with or affected by obesity through advocacy, policy and education. The latest session of their Patient Lounge focused on Women's health. Aware of the role of hormones in just about every function of women’s bodies from reproduction to weight gain, this topic is one that is very close to our hearts at PCOS Vitality.
The live panel had a mix of experts and people with lived experience of both PCOS & Obesity and featured interviews with our very own Maureen and GP power couple Dr Michael Crotty & Dr Caoimhe Hartley. Dr Hartley is a Menopause Specialist who discussed challenges regarding weight gain particularly around Menopause. Maureen spoke about how her experiences of healthcare in relation to PCOS were shaped by stigma regarding her weight and menstruation. Meanwhile Dr Crotty spoke of the challenges of weight management around menopausal transition.
On the panel we had patient advocates Lizzie & Susie who shared their stories of life with PCOS. The ups and downs and how it is even years later that they realise how PCOS is not really talked about even among ourselves. The reflections and audience questions made us all realise that really we know so little about our bodies and that so much of this is down to stigma and that can be applied not only to women’s health but also obesity too. The audience related well to the discussions, in particular to some of the symptoms of Menopause discussed by Dr Hartley. We may even see a surge in the sale of knicker magnets who knows?
If you would like to watch the patient lounge you can do so by following the link here. You can also view past episodes too! Enjoy!
© PCOS Vitality
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