Women With PCOS are Speaking Out

by Ashley Tabeling

An online petition urging legislative leaders to recognize PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is now giving women, girls and supporters of better healthcare for PCOS a voice.

Up to 10% of women and girls worldwide have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a complex hormonal disorder for which there is no cure. If left 

untreated PCOS can be a precursor to many life threatening conditions including type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney problems. This means PCOS contributes to some of the leading causes of death and disability in women today.

PCOS Awareness Advocate Ashley Tabeling, after over six years of service to the PCOS Community is aggressively campaigning for more awareness, exposure and education for PCOS( Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ). For Ashley who was diagnosed with PCOS in 1999, PCOS Awareness has been played a key role in helping her learn to live and deal with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and ultimately live a healthier life. Ashley says, "PCOS Awareness has to happen now to ensure women and girls do not have to go through another day, month or year of silent suffering and to ensure they are educated on how to live a healthier life with this syndrome."

What PCOS is, and what it does to women who have it, is complicated to explain as symptoms and severity of the syndrome can vary from person to person. Some of the classic symptoms are drastic weight gain, hair loss, depression, fatigue, thyroid problems, high cholesterol, panic attacks, headaches, dizzy spells, poor memory or muddled mind, sleeping disorders, constant thirst, extreme cravings, insulin resistance, cystic acne, cystic ovaries, menstrual cycles without ovulation, irregular cycles, severe mood swings, high testosterone levels, infertility problems, excess facial and body hair, not to mention a seven times greater risk than an average woman for four major health concerns affecting women in the United States today including heart disease, diabetes, endometrial cancer and stroke.

Now women who have spent their lives trying to come to terms with living with and understanding PCOS are asking for change, awareness and support with The PCOS Treatment and Awareness Petition which has recently been added to petitiononline.com http://www.petitiononline.com/pcosweb1/petition.html

Tina Braddock, a petition signer from TN validates the necessity for creating and supporting this petition, "I have suffered with this disease for over 18 years. I am almost 31 years old and will probably need a hysterectomy within the next 2 years. Had my doctors been more educated on the disease when I was a teenager, I probably would not have the health issues I suffered with today: PCOS, Endometriosis, Infertility, Sleep Apnea, Hypothyroidism, Eczema, Spastic Colon, excessive body hair and cystic acne."

Thankfully women like Tina have not only been adding thie signatures but, been expressing the reasons why more involvement from medical professionals insurance companies and the mainstream media are important.

Women like Jean Murphy of New Hampshire address some more reasons this petition is important. She states, "I run a support group for women with PCOS. I would like the House and Senate leaders to address the insurance companies so they will recognize and pay for not only treatment but complications of this syndrome. Diabetes, heart disease and cancer is costing the insurance company in unnecessary expenses if they would just pay for diagnosis and treatment of symptoms and also the costs of infertility caused by PCOS."

Because PCOS can cause so many physical and emotional complications, it is important for early detection, treatment and support. Chrisy Wise of Georgia agrees, "I started showing signs at a very young age and went undiagnosed for many years. As a young girl, it was very hard when doctor after doctor kept telling me nothing was wrong. Now, I know all the symptoms together equal pcos."

Thankfully this petition is not only raising awareness and gaining support, it is giving women, their families and supporters of PCOS awareness a voice, a strong voice that will hopefully incite, inspire and invoke change for better health, treatment and support of this syndrome.

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For more infomration about the petition, PCOS or to schedule and inteview with a patient and/or professional treating PCOS and PCOS symptoms please contact us.

Ashley Tabeling PCOS Awareness Advocate E-mail: pcosawareness_advocate@yahoo.com

About the Author

Ms. Tabeling has served the PCOS community for over six years. She founded PCOS Pals online support group and served in various capacities including executive director for PCOSA from 1999-2004.