When shared with friends and colleagues, they initially try to empathize but eventually they find it troublesome and annoying.įor most patients, it can go back and forth, when sometimes symptoms will be in control whereas suddenly the symptoms aggravate. Some patients say that COVID-19 has been a big relief because they can wear masks and no one will find out. 'Your beard is growing again', a common remark makes a patient feel inferior and hence they prefer to go alone such that no one finds out. Whether one goes to a beauty parlour where they pass comments on a manly hair, people passing comments as a joke itself can be traumatising for patients. There is huge shame and guilt attached to it as well. Infertility being an aspect associated with PCOS is often used to silence or push them away from mainline conversations adding to their depression and anxiety. The burden of gestation is a huge societal burden and the societal norms have forced infertile women into social pariahs. When PCOD, a metabolic disorder is not given attention to, can lead to PCOS with outward symptoms like having problems in conceiving. The doctor-patient ratio is also very poor in our country, hence overworked doctors can cause misdiagnosis of PCOS if not checked properly.

Being taboo, it is even more difficult for them to receive the proper care and have open conversations not just with families and friends, but with doctors as well. From a young age, women are taught not to talk about menstruation or any sexual problems. It also has psychological aspects causing mood swings and depression due to the stigma in society. With excessive body hair being a symptom, the societal pressure to 'look perfect' reinforces the idea of women being 'hairless' except for long-luscious mane on their scalps, and impacts the self-confidence of those who have increased facial growth. The mental strain of having this hormonal imbalance is humongous as it comes with a lot of stigma and apprehensions. A lot of literature in regional languages is also found on the internet and while it may provide a sense of community and commonality for the patients, the information should always be medically corroborated. New-age influencers or people lacking any medical knowledge are propagating myths on a regular basis and many of those claims are unverified and can potentially be harmful. Post the advent of the internet when information is readily available with a few clicks, there is immense misinformation when it pertains to PCOS and its allied conditions.

A lifestyle disorder, there is no cure to this condition, and requires lifelong management of the symptoms.

Beyond Clinical: The experience of vulva owners and PCOSĬlassifying this disorder as a quintessential period problem would be extremely unfair because it is pervasive and is not restricted to a few days in a month. The clear cause of PCOS still remains unknown as it is categorized as a metabolic disorder that can further result in hypertension, heart diseases, and infertility if the patients if not treated factors that might play a role are: The medical community and others need to be sensitized to this stigma as there have been numerous reports of obese women being misdiagnosed as suffering from PCOS due to their periods getting late due to other unrelated factors like stress etc. It is this very weight stigma that defers women from seeing a doctor as many have reportedly been shamed for being overweight. While obesity can exacerbate the symptoms of PCOS, there is no conclusive study that points out these two conditions are caused by each other. The above factors can have a debilitating effect on the psychological and emotional health of women and especially young girls who face a lot of stigmas as PCOS is generally connected with obesity. Excessive hair growth (hirsutism) on the face, chest or back Infertility (due to irregular or no ovulation) Even as women's periods aren't supposed to work clockwise, in PCOS one experiences fewer than nine periods a year with a gap of more than 35 days between periods and abnormally heavy periods. A condition that affects nearly one in five women in India (as per a report by Metropolis Healthcare), the ovaries may develop many follicles and fail to regularly release eggs. Women suffering from this disorder may have prolonged or irregular menstrual periods and have excess male hormone (androgen) levels. New Delhi: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is a common hormonal disorder amongst women of reproductive age.

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