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Graphic by Abbigale Keryna, Trent Arthur Newspaper.

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September 1st marks the beginning of National PCOS Awareness month. This begs a couple of questions — what is PCOS and why are we talking about it?

 

PCOS (Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a metabolic and hormonal condition which affects roughly 1 in 10 people with uteruses of reproductive age. That is approximately 116 million people — comparatively, this means PCOS is affecting a group of people 3 times larger than Canada’s current population! Being that this is the case, still, almost no one is aware of what the syndrome entails, nor how many people it is affecting in their life. 

 

So here’s the breakdown. 

 

First, PCOS is a syndrome meaning that diagnosis is based on a comprehensive set of symptoms which usually includes, but is not limited to: 

 

Rapid, unexpected weight gain.

Hormonal acne. 

Hirsutism and/or hair thinning. 

Irregular or absent periods. 

Dysregulated mood — bouts of anxiety and/or depression. 

Presence of ovarian cysts (follicles)... although, these are not necessary for diagnosis.

 

Let’s say you have one or more of these symptoms — now what? Here’s where the problems begin. PCOS has no cure (given that it is a syndrome, not a disease), but it importantly has no path of viable, long-term, accessible treatment. Many women, once diagnosed with PCOS, are simply given (or offered) a prescription for birth control and are sent on their way out of the doctor’s office. There are many issues with this quick dismissal of diagnosed women and poor follow-up treatment plan — to find out more, see the resources linked below (specifically, the Op-Ed article published in Arthur Newspaper). â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹

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Want a PCOS or TUSC sticker? You'll have to see us on the 24th... find out more below!

Beyond the struggle to get diagnosed with PCOS — and the even greater struggle for treatment once acquiring this diagnosis — there are exponentially more challenges facing people with PCOS. 

 

Would you like to discover what this experience of PCOS fully entails and how it connects to grander issues with women’s (hormonal) health? 

 

We have the perfect opportunity…

 

TUSC is proud to announce our first social awareness event of the year focusing on this critical subject of PCOS and women’s hormonal health, taking place on September 24th, 2024 at 6 p.m. in the OC Commons (located in Trent’s Otonabee College). 

 

Come join us for a round table conversation which will center around topics like: 

 

  • A critical look at birth control (over)prescription, long-term effects, and (lacking) efficacy in treating PCOS. 

  • An epidemic of miseducation concerning women’s knowledge of reproductive health, including menstruation and hormone literacy. 

  • Medical Misogyny. 

  • The PCOS tax: the cost of living with a hormonal condition. 

  • Connecting the dots: tying in the case study of PCOS into the larger web of health crises facing women today — essentially, why this problem is bigger than just the 1 in 10 statistic. 

 

We sincerely hope to see you there. Bring your stories, your thoughts, and your sociological imagination! Also, don’t forget your appetite (we will be catering free pizza from The Night Kitchen, Peterborough).

 

As always, keep up with our Instagram (tusc.trent) and our email messages (via tusc@trentu.ca) to stay up to date with all things TUSC. 

 

Thanks for joining us in this new year of TUSC. See you on the 24th!

 

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Signed, 


Lauren Cormier (TUSC Vice-President, September Event Co-Chair… and person with PCOS)

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Some helpful resources to start you off on our topic!

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Articles: 

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Websites:

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Empirical Literature and Extended Reading: 

  • A great qualitative article on Canadian women experiencing PCOS: Samardzic, T., Soucie, K., Schramer, K., & Katzman, R. (2021). “I didn’t feel normal”: Young Canadian women’s experiences with polycystic ovary syndrome. Feminism & Psychology, 31(4), 571-590. https://doi.org/10.1177/09593535211030748. ​

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  • Journal article: Teede, H. J. et al (2023). Recommendations from the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Human Reproduction (Oxford), 38(9), 1655–1679. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dead156. â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹

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  • Book recommendation: Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World, Elinor Cleghorn (2021). 

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