Teal, aqua, and mint are my favorite colors! Did you know that the gorgeous color teal is used in the awareness ribbon for PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome? This is a condition that affects the fertility of more women than you might think! I certainly did not know this! Brandi Lytle’s latest blog post in her Awareness Ribbon series reveals how extensive a problem this is for so many women and their families.
In our latest blog post, Founder of the Not So Mommy... blog and creator of the Childless Not By Choice Awareness Ribbon, Brandi shares her reflections on the PCOS Awareness Ribbon.
Want to know what you need to do if you think you may be at risk? Read on!
Awareness Ribbons for the Childless Community: PCOS
Written by Brandi Lytle, of Not So Mommy…
Did you know that PCOS, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, affects at least 20% of women and is the leading cause of female infertility? Despite suffering from endometriosis and infertility, I did not know these facts before connecting with the childless not by choice community through my blog, Not So Mommy… In fact, I had never even heard of PCOS before beginning my blog.
Isn’t that ridiculous?! I mean, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects at least 2 out of every 10 women. (Endometriosis affects 1 in 10.) Women suffering from PCOS often have elevated male hormones, which result in excessive hair growth and/or severe acne. Irregular periods and enlarged ovaries are also symptoms of PCOS. Like endometriosis, there is no cure for this chronic illness. So, a hysterectomy does NOT cure PCOS. Let me say it again for those in the back… There is NO cure for PCOS!
Beyond The Numbers
More awareness about this women’s health issue is critical. A staggering fifty percent of women with PCOS go undiagnosed. Yes, you read that correctly—50% of women go undiagnosed. This is simply unacceptable.
PCOS does not simply cause unwanted physical symptoms of excess hair growth and/or male-pattern baldness in females. Complications also include nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (a severe liver inflammation), type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, abnormal uterine bleeding, and/or endometrial cancer. Because of this, proper diagnosis is vital.
What can we do to help? Well, September is PCOS Awareness Month. And the color of the PCOS Awareness Ribbon is teal. So, wear a teal ribbon—not just during September, but year-round. And when people ask what it stands for, tell them the teal ribbon is for PCOS Awareness. If they ask what PCOS is, let them know that it is the leading cause of female infertility, with 50% of women going undiagnosed. Also, tell them that this statistic is extremely scary because complications of PCOS include endometrial cancer, among other diseases.
Also, get your yearly well-woman exam, ladies! And let your doctor know about any health concerns. Because it might seem insignificant… (For example, it’s just acne, right?!) But it could help your doctor to properly diagnose an illness.
Read more in the Awareness Ribbons Series...
-
Introduction: Awareness Ribbons for the Childless Community
-
Pregnancy & Infant Loss
-
Infertility
-
Childless Not by Choice
The next post in the "Awareness Ribbons for the Childless Community" Series will be published December 2021.
Brandi Lytle, founder & owner of Not So Mommy… and creator of the olive green Childless Not By Choice Awareness Ribbon, is a wife, dog mom, aunt, host mom, infertile woman living an imperfectly perfect life in South Carolina, USA with her husband, Dane, and fur baby, Maddie. She is redefining what momhood means to her and strives to focus on the bright sides of being childless. Her hope is to inspire others to accept, embrace, and redefine—discovering a Plan B that brings them joy!