PCOS patient advocates call out lack of research as up to 70% of women remain undiagnosed worldwide

  • last month
Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the most common health conditions in women of reproductive age. Yet, there is little investment in research and little progress towards the improvement of symptoms and well-being of patients.
Transcript
00:00Nearly 1 in 7 menstruating people suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome.
00:07PCOS can cause irregular menstrual periods, fertility problems, excess body hair, weight gain and acne.
00:17However, up to 70% of women worldwide are not aware they have this syndrome.
00:24As September marks PCOS Awareness Month, patient advocates are calling out the lack of research and little progress to help those suffering from it.
00:35One of the biggest gaps that we have is in research. We need lots more funding into research around PCOS.
00:42We still don't understand enough about the condition.
00:45It is estimated that PCOS has an annual cost of approximately 23 billion euros in the European health sector.
00:55Yet, the last EU-funded research for PCOS was in 2020.
01:01Only one of the projects is focused on the root of the problem.
01:06Some younger patients claim that more dangerous PCOS side effects, like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are overlooked by fertility and weight issues.
01:19I know it's something also that we have to fight regarding people's perception of PCOS.
01:24If you improve your lifestyle, your diet, your exercise regimen, PCOS will go away. No, it will not go away.

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