Since I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in 2012, it has been part of my life’s mission to help women become empowered to take care of their health by using preventative measures, like working out and eating healthily, and becoming the biggest advocate for themselves.
National Girlfriends’ Day {August 1st} is a day to celebrate friendship and to support one another as women to stay safe and to live a healthy life. Below, you’ll see an infographic from Oscar Health Insurance Company that provides a helpful guideline of preventative measures that we can take to protect ourselves through routine screenings and possible early detection. Oscar has many tools and services that allow making these appointments easy and stress-free with their tech-based health insurance in NJ and NY.
Along with the suggested routine screenings, I also want to personally encourage you to get tested for PCOS if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Menstrual irregularities:
- No menstrual periods—called amenorrhea (pronounced ey-men-uh-REE-uh)
- Frequently missed periods—called oligomenorrhea (pronounced ol-i-goh-men-uh-REE-uh)
- Very heavy periods
- Bleeding but no ovulation—called anovulatory periods
- Infertility
- Excess hair growth on the face, chest, belly, or upper thighs—a condition called hirsutism (pronounced HUR-soo-tiz-uhm)
- Severe, late-onset, or persistent acne that does not respond well to usual treatments
- Obesity, weight gain, or trouble losing weight, especially around the waist
- Pelvic pain
- Oily skin
- Patches of thickened, dark, velvety skin—a condition called acanthosis nigricans (pronounced ay-kan-THOE-sis NY-grih-kanz)
PCOS can lead to many serious medical conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and gynecological cancers if left untreated. To find out more information about PCOS testing and diagnosis, check out this article from the US National Library of Medicine.
When it comes to our health, the last thing we should want to do is put out fires. Preventative health is key to living a healthy life. For National Girlfriends’ Day, encourage your girlfriends to stay healthy by working out together, eating good nutritious foods together, and empower one another to advocate for their health through listening to their bodies and getting routine screenings to both prevent illness and/or detect potential illness early.
For more information about PCOS, check out www.pcosaa.org.
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