Here’s a quick roundup of recent women’s health/wellness & PCOS stories in the news:

PCOS Studies

Genetic variants discovered that increase risk of PCOS (via BioNews)

These are the stories that really get my attention, since research on PCOS is really still in its infancy, and I believe finding some DNA connection would make a huge difference in learning more about the condition. Like any DNA research though, it’s neither easy nor straightforward, but this recent study is a start.

In this study of women in Finland and Estonia, three genetic variants that could be signals of PCOS were discovered, two of which affected what is known as the CHEK2 gene. This gene helps control quality of cells and repairs damaged DNA, including potentially that of amount/quality of eggs in the ovaries and when women start going into menopause. The third variant was found on a gene called Myosin X, which codes proteins involved in embryonic development.

While this is a relatively small study limited to women of Northern Europe and much more research across ethnic/genetic groups would be needed, studies like this are promising and desperately needed in getting a better understanding of how, where, and when PCOS originates in women. It also shows that things that may seem unrelated to PCOS may have some connection after all–as all of us with PCOS know, it is very tricky and doesn’t make much sense!

PCOS & Race

The Lessons I Learnt Trying To Get My PCOS Diagnosis As A Black Woman (via Bustle)

Unfortunately with PCOS as in just about every aspect of life, as hard as it can be for white people, it’s even harder for those of color, particularly Black women who have been historically disbelieved and mistreated medically (and just about everywhere else). Stories like this show up just about every week, as it did in my last PCOS News Roundup.

This week in Bustle, this writer explains all the struggles she’s gone through in simply trying to get a diagnosis for what she suspected was PCOS from Google research (never the best idea, but sometimes people’s only resource when the medical establishment lets them down–but anyway!!). These issues–from navigating the bureaucracy of approvals (this was in the UK, who at least have a nationally funded health service, but every American knows the struggles of dealing with our corporate scam of a health insurance system finding what we are asking for “not medically necessary”…) to terrible bedside manner, to general dismissal and gaslighting of what someone is experiencing and feeling in their own body–happen to women of all backgrounds and races, but the writer’s experience shows that Black women experience yet another layer of dismissal and discrimination:

I knew about racism, I knew about medical racism, and yet I was horrified to think that this could have happened to me. I was aware of the reasons why Black women are so often disregarded by healthcare professionals and why they often suffered poorer outcomes than their white counterparts. It’s because we’re not perceived as fragile or vulnerable. Our fears and our pain is often undermined. We are simply “strong Black women” and so there is never much attempt to treat us with softness. However, knowing all that still didn’t prepare me for experiencing it first hand.

I could talk in detail about this entire piece, having experienced much of these things myself, but I really felt this part, which never fails to remind me of my favorite Golden Girls episode:

I suppose the final lesson was the biggest of them all, although it didn’t feel like it at the time. It came after the phone call that finally confirmed I had PCOS. “Yeah, I thought so” were the exact words I uttered when the doctor told me and, honestly, the main emotion I felt was relief. I was relieved to have an explanation for the horrible symptoms and some sort of conclusion after months of unanswered questions.

The lesson was to always trust myself. I was consoled by the fact I had been persistent enough to fight for a diagnosis despite the constant knock-backs that almost convinced me to stay silent. While the journey to my diagnosis – the waiting, the rejections, the gaslighting, the mistreatment – hurt more than it healed, finally I had an answer. I was proud of the fact that I hadn’t given up and had demanded the best for my body.

The entire piece is worth a read. It’s sad and disheartening that in 2021, women, especially women of color, have to work this hard just to be listened to and get a diagnosis that will help them improve their health. But people sharing their stories helps get it out there in hopes of slowly improving the problem.

What PCOS/women’s health news are you reading lately? Add yours below!

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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and do not claim to offer medical advice in these posts. These are meant to be informational only. Please consult further with your doctor for specific advice and treatment plans.

Image by Tyler Nix on Unsplash