It might be difficult to know how to broach the topic of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) with friends and other people in your life, such as teachers, colleagues, and so on. Many of the issues you experience related to your PCOS might feel very personal, but you might also still want to speak about PCOS, how it affects you and what needs you may have as a result.
Some of the symptoms that are part of PCOS can be stigmatised in today’s society: hirsutism, weight gain or obesity, and acne tend to be considered being outside the ‘norm’ for appearance in society. Having these symptoms as part of PCOS can mean experiencing additionally stigmatising behaviour as a result, such as fatphobia towards an obese person.
Talking about PCOS
Despite the high prevalence of PCOS, much of the stigma surrounding it comes partly from the low level of awareness about the condition, and the lack of discussion around it. It is also closely tied to beliefs and perceptions around feminity and the female body, and how a female body that does not adhere to these perceptions can be the target of stigma.
This stigma can have an impact on persons with PCOS perception of their appearance, identity, and daily lives, and the ways they seek support and communicate about their condition. With all this in mind, it might be hard to take the first step and reaching out to a teacher or a manager at work about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and sharing medical or personal information. However, it may be necessary if for example you need time off school because of medical appointments or need extra flexibility to work from home because of very heavy periods.
How can teachers or empoyers help girls with PCOS?
While difficult, being open and honest about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and how it affects you is the most straightforward approach. The best way to start is to explain what PCOS is, the different symptoms and the impact of these symptoms – perhaps even suggest read online about PCOS. You can then move on to how PCOS affects you specifically and what it will mean for you in daily interactions, using as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with.
Teachers and employers can help by being considerate and empathic. Enabling flexible working or studying arrangements, accepting of time missed due to medical appointments, and ensuring regular breaks are part of every day can go a long way towards helping a student or employee with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome!
References used:
Shaan Chopra, Rachael Zehrung, Tamil Arasu Shanmugam, and Eun Kyoung Choe. 2021. Living with Uncertainty and Stigma: Self-Experimentation and Support-Seeking around Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. In Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ’21). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 202, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445706
https://www.seeherthrive.com/blog/2020/9/3/an-employers-guide-to-polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos