Photo from Project Vanity
When I turned 20, I was under so much pressure from school and family that I started missing my periods. I thought it was normal to miss a period or two when you experience a drastic lifestyle change so I didn’t pay much attention until it had already been three months. Worried, I finally went to the doctor to have myself checked and found out that I had been experiencing something I hadn’t even heard of before: PCOS.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a common endocrine system disorder in women. It’s so common that 6 out of 10 women have experienced PCOS. In spite of its name, there aren’t any actual cysts involved but fluid-filled sacs surround the eggs inside the ovaries and cause hormonal levels to be way off balance. As a result, it can cause problems like excessive facial or body hair, acne, obesity, as well as the irregularity in periods that I had been experiencing. Doctors still don’t know what causes the condition and there is currently no cure for it. The most that women like me can do is to manage the symptoms as well as we can.
I talked to seven women I knew to share their own stories of living with PCOS in the hopes that it can inspire others who face the same struggle!