September 25, 2024 • 35 mins
According to the World Health Organization, 8-13% of women are affected by Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and it is also the leading cause of infertility for women. To explore more about this syndrome and its specific impact on Black women, I’m joined today by Sasha Ottey, a clinical and research microbiologist and the founder and executive director of PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. After she was diagnosed with PCOS, Sasha founded PCOS Challenge and has since grown the organization to over 55,000 members. Her leadership focuses on advocating for research funding, innovation, and the development of safe and effective treatments for PCOS.
During our conversation, we discuss why over 70% of women go undiagnosed for PCOS, the common symptoms and experiences of women with PCOS, and how to advocate for yourself to your medical team when fearing that you may have PCOS.
About the Podcast
The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
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Check out Session 232 of the podcast to hear Dr. Ashley Davis discuss how PCOS is diagnosed and common treatments.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly
conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small
decisions we can make to become the best possible versions
of ourselves. I'm your host, doctor joy hard and Bradford,
a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or
(00:32):
to find a therapist in your area, visit our website
at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you
love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is
not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with
a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much
(00:57):
for joining me for session three seventy eight of the
Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into our
conversation after a word from our sponsors.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm Sasha Atti and I'm on the Therapy for Black
Girls Podcast. I'm in session today unpacking how to navigate
a PCOS diagnosis?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Did you know that September is National PCOS Awareness Month?
According to the World Health Organization, eight to thirteen percent
of women are affected by polycystic ovary syndrome and it
is also the leading cause of infertility for women. To
explore more about this syndrome, and its specific impact on
black women. I'm joined today by Sasha Atti, a clinical
(01:46):
and research microbiologist and the founder and executive director of
PCOS Challenge, the National polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. After she
was diagnosed with PCOS, Sasha founded PCOS Challenge and has
grown on the organization to over fifty five thousand members.
Her leadership focus is on advocating for research, funding, innovation,
(02:07):
and the development of safe and effective treatments for PCOS.
During our conversation today, we discuss why over seventy percent
of women go undiagnosed for PCOS, the common symptoms and
experiences of women with PCOS, and how to advocate for
yourself to your medical team when fearing that you may
have PCOS. If something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation,
(02:30):
please share it with us on social media using the
hashtag TVG in Session or join us over in the
Sister Circle to talk more about the episode. You can
join us at community dot therapy for blackgirls dot com.
Here's our conversation. Well, thank you so much for joining
me today, Sasha, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
So much for inviting me to the show.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Absolutely so, I wonder if you could get started by
sharing a little bit about your journey with PCOS. Can
you tell us when you were diagnosed and how.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, so I was in my late twenties, twenty eight actually,
and I started missing some periods and for me, that
was not normal. So I went to my obgyn and said, look,
this is happening. She ran some tests, some blood tests,
she did an ultrasound, and then diagnosed me with polycystic
(03:28):
ovary syndrome or PCOS.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
This was in my late twenties.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I wasn't even considering children. That was not on my
list of things to do at that time. But one
of the first things she did say was here's some
birth control pills and come back to see me when
you want to get pregnant. And just since then learning
more about PCOS and people's diagnostic journeys. That's a very
(03:57):
common phrase that people get. She also gave me a
pamphlet that I read within like five minutes and didn't
give that much information, because when you hear something like, okay,
you have a condition that you hadn't heard of before,
a little pamphlet that doesn't suffice with helping you with.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Understanding what that means. For you.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
She also told me not to worry about not having
my periods because plenty of women would love to not
have their periods, and for me, that felt really dismissive.
That was my major concern for presenting to her, and
it wasn't at all helpful to me. She also then
(04:44):
referred me to see an endocrinologist, and when I went
to see him, he told me to come back to
see him in six months after I've lost weight, without
giving me any tools, any supports, any guidance. And so
I just felt like my healthcare team wasn't going to
be as helpful as i'd hope them to be with
(05:05):
this diagnosis.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah, so you mentioned that in talking with other women
after your diagnosis, you found that a lot of people
had that same story, right, that they were told to
take these birth control pills and come back when you
want to get pregnant. Is the understanding, or as you
understand it, that PCOS was something that you just had
to manage and that it wasn't going to be a
serious concern until you were trying to get pregnant.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
That was the impression that I got when I got diagnosed.
But as I've learned and have become an expert on
the subject. PCOS is a lot more than that. PCOS
does have reproductive consequences for many people. However, it's a
lifelong condition that impacts people, yes their reproductive health, but
(05:52):
also their mental health, their metabolic health, their cardiovascular health.
So many things that PCOS impacts that were not mentioned
in any of these doctors' visits. So it was a
missed opportunity. In retrospectively, it was a missed opportunity for
(06:13):
them being the doctors, to give me better guidance, give
me better education, and so that I would be able
to live a healthier life outside of just reproduction.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So can you talk a little bit more about some
of the challenges you've had since being diagnosed, both medically
and emotionally.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
So the thing is I had to now once I
learned more about PCOS, I had to now think back,
h this was impacting me in my teens and I
didn't know it. I always had issues with hair loss,
which I was a really young person dealing with hair loss,
(06:55):
and so that always felt like there was something wrong
with me. And I went to dermatologists to see about
my hair loss and just hair issues. But I was
always so low it's because of braids or having perms.
So those doctors weren't really informed and they weren't asking
(07:15):
the right questions. My Dermatologists never asked about my periods.
My dermatologists never asked about my mental health. But one
of the major challenges that I came to the realization
that I was struggling with was anxiety. Anxiety is a
big one, and I didn't even know that's what I
was experiencing at the time in my teens and in
(07:38):
my early twenties. It was actually since the diagnosis of
PCOS and learning more and then speaking to therapists, it
finally clicked that this was what I was experiencing, anxiety
and some depression. It's really hard being the person being
the patient and having to connect the dots yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Right, right, So for our audience who may not be familiar,
can you give us like a one oh one version
of what PCOS is. And then since you talked about
it being connected to anxiety for you, can you talk
a little bit about that connection.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
So, PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, is the most common
hormone disorder in women or people born with uterus and
PCOS can be diagnosed with two to three of the following.
So if you have irregular menstrual cycles or irregular ovulation,
(08:34):
that's one. If you have signs of high androgens, which
are like male hormones like testosterone, such as facial hair
growth or just excessive facial embody hair that's one of
the signs. Or severe acne or hair loss like I
was experiencing. Those are signs of high androgens. Or if
(08:58):
you have a blood test show that you have higher
levels of androgens, those are that's two, so irregular periods
or a regular ovulation signs or blood work showing high androgens,
or three ultrasound transvaginal ultrasounds showing polycystic ovaries. So these
(09:19):
are little cysts that form in around the ovaries, and
what these are are immature follicles or immature eggs. They're
not ovulating as they should, and so some people may
have enlarged ovaries or lots of these little immature follicles
on ultrasound. So if you have two or three of those,
(09:41):
that's how you get diagnosed with PCOS. And actually the
latest guideline also includes the hormone amh antimularian hormone which
can be used instead of ultrasound. So I had irregular cycles,
I had the poly cystick ovaries, so that's how I
(10:02):
got diagnosed with PCOS. Mental health conditions are really prevalent
in PCOS. We're talking anxiety, depression, even bipolar and eating disorders.
Things that a lot of our doctors are clinicians don't
even know or understand, are part of the picture of
the profile of PCOS. Because PCOS is not a disease,
(10:25):
it's a syndrome, which is a constellation of various symptoms.
You may experience two or three and the next person
may experience ten or twelve things. You can line up
ten people with PCOS and they'll all have some different
combination of the syndrome. And so it can be difficult
(10:49):
as a person living with the condition to navigate because
the treatment options aren't the same for everyone. There's a
lot of trial and error around managing PCOS, and there
just is not enough information to help to navigate all
of what you're dealing with.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
So you had the mis periods, which I think for
a lot of people is like a sign like okay,
especially if your period has been regular that you go
to your doctor, like, Okay, something's going on here, But
you mentioned that you had like the hair loss earlier
in your life and you wouldn't have connected it to
the miss period later. Are there other things that people
(11:29):
should be on the lookout for, because some of this
it sounds like if you didn't ask your doctor for
screenings of hormone levels and stuff like that, you would
never know, like what your levels were. So are there
other symptoms and signs that, like to the naked eye,
we should be paying attention to maybe alert our healthcare team.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Look, the PCOS presents most often in puberty, so if
and but a lot of the symptoms kind of coincide
with puberty in everyone, right, So irregular periods or a
few years or you may have acne. Right, But if
you survey and we have surveyed patients with PCOS, most
(12:09):
people say, I knew something was wrong before I got
my period or when I was a teenager. But the
most common thing is the irregular cycles and teenagers, what
that means is if you get your period less than
twenty five days apart or greater than forty five days apart.
In adults, it's if you get your periods less than
(12:31):
twenty five days apart or greater than thirty five days apart.
So like for me, now, I could get my period
like twice a month, and that's that's kind of miserable
for a lot of people. Or you may have really
prolonged heavy periods for even up to three months. Some
(12:52):
people are reported having their periods for a long time,
and that's connected to so many things, fatigue, becoming an
et cetera. So these are some of the signs that
are usually dismissed as oh, that's just a bad period,
or oh, that's just how your periods are. So there's
a lot of dismissive language around the experience of menstruation.
(13:17):
That's irregular or that's abnormal, right, you know, a lot
of us just kind of take it because our healthcare
providers say that's normal or that's just something you're going
to have to deal with. So if your provider or
your doctor says that to you, and you know, because
the majority of us will know that something is off
(13:37):
or something is not right, get a second opinion, get
a third opinion. But yes, if you have facial hair,
excessive body hair, and it's different from other people, the
growth is different you're growing a beard, you're growing mustache,
not the fine heres, but course heres. That's always something
(13:58):
to bring to the attention of a physician.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
And if you're.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Losing hair at a rate that feels alarming to you
or feels abnormal to you, also bring that up. And
we at PCO a challenge. We have resources to communicate
with your doctors, right Doctor Patient Communication Guide, share decision
making tools because sometimes it's daunting to speak to your physicians,
(14:23):
and sometimes you don't know whether or not to just
take their word for it. So sometimes it's good to
be prepared with questions or concerns ahead of time, so
you can say, I learned about this condition PCOS and
it sounds like this is something that could be affecting me.
I have your regular periods, this is what my periods
(14:45):
look like. Or I am very concerned about the rate
my body hair is growing or the rate my hair
I'm losing hair. I'm concerned about that. Can you evaluate this,
can you check this out? I've come to realize, just
based on so many stories, that many of us, and
(15:06):
many of us as black women, we don't.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Know what's normal. We don't know what's.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
A normal period, and so sometimes it's just good to
ask ask your doctor. Well I bleed for this much?
Is that normal? Information is your best weapon against any
medical condition.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Can you mentioned that this is the most commonly diagnosed
hormone concern. Exactly how common is it? Sasha?
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Well I said, it's the most common hormone disorder, and
women of fifty to seventy percent are going undiagnosed.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
It's so prevalent.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
It's between ten to twenty percent of women have pcos
and it's unfortunately going undiagnosed because of the lack of awareness,
which is growing. I'm here to tell you that there's hope,
there's positive outlook. Organizations such as Ours PCOS Challenge we
(15:59):
build this advocacy platform for patients to start using their
stories to advocate for better healthcare, better treatment options, and
just better education around pcos. So there is hope. Awareness
is building. However, yes, ten percent of women is nothing
(16:19):
to sneeze at. It's not a loan number. It's quite prevalent.
It's more common than diabetes, and it also can lead
to diabetes and pre diabetes, which we can talk about
a little bit more later.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
More from our conversation after the break, but first, a
snippet of our special bonus episode coming out this Friday,
with Natasha Rothwell of Hulu's How to Die Alone.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
I started working on this project about seven and a
half years ago. I was on Insecure and I got
a development deal for a pilot and it was basically
like having the proverbial legacy of paper passed to me
the meeting, and I was terrified, just truly terrified of like,
(17:05):
I don't know what it is I want to say
or what I want to do.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
And I come out of.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
The world of improv and one of the biggest tenants
is follow the fear, and at the time, dying alone
and wrestling with that idea and the difference between being
alone and lonely was a huge part of what I
was going through, and so I decided to write about that.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
So you mentioned that because the consolation of symptoms can
be different for different patients, that the treatment plans look
very different sometimes. Can you give us an idea of
what some of the maybe more common treatment plans you've
seen for patients diagnosed with PCO is.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
So PCOS and obesity goes hand in hand for a
lot of people, It's not really well understood or as
understood as it should be why fat behaves differently in
someone with PCOS and someone without PCOS. So if your
doctor just tells you to lose weight and come back
(18:16):
to see them in six months, like minded, ask your doctor,
what would you tell a person who wasn't overweight or
wasn't in a bigger body, right, how would you treat
that person? And the answer is probably the same way. Right,
the toolbox is so limited. I'll tell you the treatment
plan for PCOS is number one is lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Number two.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
The first line of treatment therapy for PCOS is birth
control fills and also next is met foreman or intul
insensitizers or diabetes drugs that are used off label for PCOS.
And then everything else is treating the symptoms. So where
(19:00):
if you are a person who's struggling with excessive hair growth,
you may also be prescribed medications such as sperrinalactone or
any anti androgen medications which can help to lower the
male hormones so to speak. If you're a person who
has facial hair, you may also use electrolysis or laser
(19:24):
hair removal. So it's based on your symptoms and the toolbox.
There are zero zero i FD approved medications for PCOS.
Everything that's used in PCOS is off label use, and
sometimes it's helpful, sometimes it's not. So when I mentioned earlier,
it's trial and error. Most people will get put on
(19:45):
birth control. It may affect you in one way, it
may affect you negatively. For example, I'll tell my personal
experience was one of the first medications that I was
prescribed was outside of oral contraceptives, was Justin privera to
help to bring on a bleed. And what that did
to me was I experienced severe depressive symptoms for those
(20:10):
seven plus days that I was on it. And this
is a commonly reported problem. Some people do not do
well on especially for Justin only birth control. Others do
just fine. It does require an individualized approach, but it
also requires a multidisciplinary approach. The best way to manage
(20:31):
PCOS is to have a team who's helping you. A
psychologist if you're experiencing mental health challenges. A dietitian or
nutritionist to help you figure out an eating plan that
works for you and that can even change over time.
Someone to help you with the best form of movement
(20:53):
or exercise, an obgyn, sometimes an endocrinologist and some of
the others I've met earlier. So it's complex depending on
which symptoms you have in that constellation. And also it's
complex in terms of there's no one size fits all treatment.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
But when you do.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Find what works for you, it's freeing, it's liberating, and
you can get back to health.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I am not surprised that you then ended up finding
and founding an organization like PCOS Challenged, because it sounds
like for this kind of concern and many others where
there's not a lot of information, people are discovering it
for themselves in conjunction with their healthcare professionals. I'm sure
that community is really really important. Can you talk about
(21:45):
founding your organization, PCOS Challenge and the role that community
has helped has played for you in navigating your diagnosis.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So immediately the same day when I went home and
after my die diagnosis, I said, this is not right.
Something has to be done. There's too little information. And
then me finding out that there's so many people who
are impacted by this, I immediately said I needed to
(22:15):
do something. To form a nonprofit with the original goal
or initial goal of just educating people bringing evidence based
information to the PCOS community. So our mission is still
the same to raise awareness and help people with PCOS
to prevent some of the comorbid conditions that can stem
(22:37):
from PCOS. But we quickly realized that the lack of
awareness was leading to so many downstream issues like the
lack of funding for research, which is why we don't
have enough information or enough options for patients. So we
had to build the legislative advocacy platform for pcos. There
(23:01):
were no bills that mentioned pcos and how research is
funded is the largest funder of biomedical research is the NIH.
And if the NIH or our government doesn't know that
this problem exists, then it won't be solved, it won't
be fixed. So we worked and literally knocked on every
(23:24):
door in Congress in Washington, DC and wrote resolutions writing
other language to raise a profile of pcos but also
for funding PCOS research, for improving treatment options for PCOS.
And we're doing this using patients stories. Every year, patients
(23:47):
meet with their legislators about PCOS and share their stories
and share how it's impacted them, their families, their communities,
and so the power in your story is real, right,
it can lead to change, which it has, So we
officially got September designated as PCOS Awareness Months and continuing
(24:12):
to work with government agencies on multiple issues around PCOS.
PCOS is connected to so many things that we care
about public health, so our vision is that PCOS is
treated as a public health priority. PCOS is also connected
to infertilities, the most common cause of infertility caused by
(24:34):
lack of ovulation in women. It's also connected to diabetes.
Fifty percent of PCOS patients will become diabetic or pre
diabetic before age forty so in your teens, twenties, thirties,
and other conditions that impact health non alcoholic fatty liver
(24:54):
disease and domeutrial cancer. And as we spoke about earlier,
is mental health issues, mental health disorders, mental health conditions.
So PCOS impacts our entire quality of life, and our
organization is working diligently with the patient community, working together
(25:18):
with the research and clinician communities to not only raise
the profile, but just improve outcomes and improve the future
for everyone impacted by PCOS.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I wonder, Sasha, if you could talk a little bit
about the connection between PCOS and diabetes and some of
these other comorbid conditions that you mentioned.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Some of the underlying issues in PCOS include insulin resistance
and inflammation, and that's connected to so many things. A
woman with PCOS may become diabetic or pre diabetic before
age forty, at a young age if there's no intervention, right,
if she doesn't know that she has PCOS, and she
(25:59):
does doesn't have the tools or the support to prevent
some of these conditions. But PCOS is also connected to infertility.
As I mentioned, it's the most common cause of infertility
in women and caused by irregular ovulation. The good news
there is that PCOS women have the same amount of
(26:23):
children as those without PCOS. However, it may take you longer.
But imagine if you don't understand or you don't know
that you have this, So that information that you have
PCOS could give you kind of a leg up. Right,
you can have the opportunity to incorporate prevention efforts like
helping to prevent some of these issues if you understand
(26:46):
what PCOS is and if you understand how it impacts
your health. So a lot of women struggle to get pregnant,
but when you do get pregnant, PCOS also puts youohigh
risk for matern no health complications like perclimcia, gestational diabetes,
c section, and even miscarriage. One of the reasons we
(27:11):
advocate so diligently for earlier intervention is that if we
understand that we have PCOS, we can potentially prevent and
understand our risk for some of these conditions and save
lives right. PCOS is a metabolic condition that can lead
to non alcoholic fatty liver disease and even stroke. So
(27:35):
it's a really serious condition that more doctors, every doctor
who sees women should know about.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
More from our conversation after the break, Sasha, can you
share any self care strategies or things that have been
helpful to you for other community members who may be struggling,
Like what kinds of things help you to manage your
(28:02):
PCOS on a day to day basis?
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Number one for me is mental health. I know if
I am not feeling my best, if I'm struggling with
anxiety or depression, that does not serve me, does not
serve my family, and I can't show up as my
best self. So I see a therapist and I continue therapy,
(28:26):
but then I also implement certain things yoga, walking. I
do know that when I don't do these things, I
don't feel my best and I don't feel worse, and
I mean I.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Do feel worse. So it's just.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Being intentional about managing my mental health also helps me
to do some of the other lifestyle things that I'm
supposed to do right, adhere to things that my doctor
tells me to do, even taking medications. So my personal
opinion is that your mental health should come first. That
(29:01):
should be your priority in order to fully manage your
PCOS and anything for that matter. But I think for
most of us, finding what form of exercise works for
us and what that means to you is what that
means to you, right, what are your goals? Are you
(29:22):
doing this to feel better mentally? Are you doing this
to feel more alert or to battle fatigue? Are you
doing this for weight loss? So find the exercise and
the eating habits that work for you, that make you
feel good, that make you feel happy. One of the
first things that we'll get told is don't do this
(29:44):
or eat less of this. Find someone who can work
with you, who can guide you to adding things to
your life that make you feel good. Right, Adding foods
to your life, adding practices, adding exercise, adding hobbies to
your life that make you feel good, because when you
do feel good, you do feel more accomplished and ready
(30:08):
to take on whatever challenges you are And let's be real,
PCOS is a challenge, and that's why it was we
named the organization PCOS Challenge because it is a challenge
to have this diagnosis. But then once you do find
the strength, once you do become empowered, you can challenge
this condition to live your best life. So find what
(30:31):
makes you happy.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
That's number one. Two.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Find a healthcare team that also wants to work in
partnership with you, and that's what it is. It's supposed
to be working in partnership with you to achieve your goals.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
What are your healthcare goals?
Speaker 3 (30:47):
Not the goals that your doctor sets for you, but
what you want to set for your life. And these
are things that I had to learn and many people
had to learn as a part of the formula for
living a healthier life, not just with PCOS, but with anything,
just living a healthier life. Find the healthcare team and
(31:07):
find a support team, whether that's your friends, your family.
Share what you're comfortable sharing and what you're not comfortable
sharing with your family and friends, share it with your therapists,
right because people are going to say things. People are
going to say things that can bring you down. I
was just at a conference, an infertility conference, where people
(31:30):
would share what their family members would say to them,
why aren't you giving him them babies? You know, things
that can feel like daggers to your heart and soul.
And people sometimes aren't doing this maliciously, but they just
don't know or sometimes I think we need to tell them.
But share what you're comfortable with. So yeah, that's the formula.
(31:54):
Find your people, whether it's in the medical field and
or your personal space, your personal community, and find the
things that make you happy. Because they're going to be
different types of medications that come at you, different types
of supplements, different types of diets and eating plans that
(32:15):
you may make your head spin. I think the one
thing that should connect the dots for you and your
health is that this brings you joy.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
This brings you joy.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
So that's my personal message, and I just want everyone
with PCOIS to know that whether you're dealing with infertility,
whether you're dealing with trying to lose weight or body
image issues, or just loneliness. It can be a lonely
diagnosis to navigate. Just know that there's hope, there's an
(32:49):
organization that is advocating on behalf of you, but that
you can also feel empowered by joining us and advocate
on behalf of yourself and the other millions who are
dealing with PCOS.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
So, Sasha, In addition to PCOS Challenge, are there other
organizations or documentaries or social media accounts that you would
suggest for somebody who's wanting to learn more information or
get some additional support.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Oh yeah, well, definitely PCOS Challenge. There are a few
organizations and very few around the world. I don't think
it needs to be specific to PCOS. And one of
the things that I found is that I would get
fatigued being hyper focused on whatever it is that's troubling me.
(33:36):
And this is one thing that and I've personally taken
social media breaks, so I connect with people in person
a lot more than I do on social media. What
you consume on the Internet or wherever, make it well rounded, right,
Try things that you hadn't tried before. Meet people, even
(33:59):
if you're an intro meet people who are like minded,
who have similar interests. So your life does not need
to revolve around having PCOS, even if you do have PCOS.
That's what I think. Just expand your interests too, find
things out there that don't always have to remind you
(34:22):
about your diagnosis.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Right, So, yeah, that's actually my response to that.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Got it? Well? Thank you so much for that, Sasha.
And where can we stay connected with you? What is
your website as well as any social media channels you'd
like to share?
Speaker 3 (34:36):
So it's at PCOS Challenge on Socials and website is
PCOS Challenge dot org.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Perfect.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
We'll be sure to include all of that in the
show notes. Thank you so much for joining us, Sasha.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Thanks doctor Joy for having me, and thanks for the
wonderful work that you do for a community. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
I appreciate it. I'm so glad Sasha was able to
join us for this episode. To learn more about her
and the work she's doing, be sure to visit the
show notes at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash Session
three seventy eight, and don't forget to text this episode
to two of your girls right now. If you're looking
for a therapist in your area, visit our therapist directory
(35:14):
at Therapy for blackgirls dot com slash directory and if
you want to continue digging into this topic or just
be in community with other sisters, come on over and
join us in the Sister Circle. It's our cozy corner
of the Internet designed just for black women. You can
join us at Community dot Therapy for blackgirls dot com.
This episode was produced by Elise Ellis and Zaria Taylor.
(35:35):
Editing was done by Dennison Bradford. Thank y'all so much
for joining me again this week. I look forward to
continuing this conversation with you all real soon. Take good care.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
What's
Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly
conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small
decisions we can make to become the best possible versions
of ourselves. I'm your host, doctor joy hard and Bradford,
a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or
(00:32):
to find a therapist in your area, visit our website
at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you
love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is
not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with
a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much
(00:57):
for joining me for session three seventy eight of the
Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into our
conversation after a word from our sponsors.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Hi.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm Sasha Atti and I'm on the Therapy for Black
Girls Podcast. I'm in session today unpacking how to navigate
a PCOS diagnosis?
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Did you know that September is National PCOS Awareness Month?
According to the World Health Organization, eight to thirteen percent
of women are affected by polycystic ovary syndrome and it
is also the leading cause of infertility for women. To
explore more about this syndrome, and its specific impact on
black women. I'm joined today by Sasha Atti, a clinical
(01:46):
and research microbiologist and the founder and executive director of
PCOS Challenge, the National polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. After she
was diagnosed with PCOS, Sasha founded PCOS Challenge and has
grown on the organization to over fifty five thousand members.
Her leadership focus is on advocating for research, funding, innovation,
(02:07):
and the development of safe and effective treatments for PCOS.
During our conversation today, we discuss why over seventy percent
of women go undiagnosed for PCOS, the common symptoms and
experiences of women with PCOS, and how to advocate for
yourself to your medical team when fearing that you may
have PCOS. If something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation,
(02:30):
please share it with us on social media using the
hashtag TVG in Session or join us over in the
Sister Circle to talk more about the episode. You can
join us at community dot therapy for blackgirls dot com.
Here's our conversation. Well, thank you so much for joining
me today, Sasha, Thank you.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
So much for inviting me to the show.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Absolutely so, I wonder if you could get started by
sharing a little bit about your journey with PCOS. Can
you tell us when you were diagnosed and how.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
Yeah, so I was in my late twenties, twenty eight actually,
and I started missing some periods and for me, that
was not normal. So I went to my obgyn and said, look,
this is happening. She ran some tests, some blood tests,
she did an ultrasound, and then diagnosed me with polycystic
(03:28):
ovary syndrome or PCOS.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
This was in my late twenties.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I wasn't even considering children. That was not on my
list of things to do at that time. But one
of the first things she did say was here's some
birth control pills and come back to see me when
you want to get pregnant. And just since then learning
more about PCOS and people's diagnostic journeys. That's a very
(03:57):
common phrase that people get. She also gave me a
pamphlet that I read within like five minutes and didn't
give that much information, because when you hear something like, okay,
you have a condition that you hadn't heard of before,
a little pamphlet that doesn't suffice with helping you with.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Understanding what that means. For you.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
She also told me not to worry about not having
my periods because plenty of women would love to not
have their periods, and for me, that felt really dismissive.
That was my major concern for presenting to her, and
it wasn't at all helpful to me. She also then
(04:44):
referred me to see an endocrinologist, and when I went
to see him, he told me to come back to
see him in six months after I've lost weight, without
giving me any tools, any supports, any guidance. And so
I just felt like my healthcare team wasn't going to
be as helpful as i'd hope them to be with
(05:05):
this diagnosis.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Yeah, so you mentioned that in talking with other women
after your diagnosis, you found that a lot of people
had that same story, right, that they were told to
take these birth control pills and come back when you
want to get pregnant. Is the understanding, or as you
understand it, that PCOS was something that you just had
to manage and that it wasn't going to be a
serious concern until you were trying to get pregnant.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
That was the impression that I got when I got diagnosed.
But as I've learned and have become an expert on
the subject. PCOS is a lot more than that. PCOS
does have reproductive consequences for many people. However, it's a
lifelong condition that impacts people, yes their reproductive health, but
(05:52):
also their mental health, their metabolic health, their cardiovascular health.
So many things that PCOS impacts that were not mentioned
in any of these doctors' visits. So it was a
missed opportunity. In retrospectively, it was a missed opportunity for
(06:13):
them being the doctors, to give me better guidance, give
me better education, and so that I would be able
to live a healthier life outside of just reproduction.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
So can you talk a little bit more about some
of the challenges you've had since being diagnosed, both medically
and emotionally.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
So the thing is I had to now once I
learned more about PCOS, I had to now think back,
h this was impacting me in my teens and I
didn't know it. I always had issues with hair loss,
which I was a really young person dealing with hair loss,
(06:55):
and so that always felt like there was something wrong
with me. And I went to dermatologists to see about
my hair loss and just hair issues. But I was
always so low it's because of braids or having perms.
So those doctors weren't really informed and they weren't asking
(07:15):
the right questions. My Dermatologists never asked about my periods.
My dermatologists never asked about my mental health. But one
of the major challenges that I came to the realization
that I was struggling with was anxiety. Anxiety is a
big one, and I didn't even know that's what I
was experiencing at the time in my teens and in
(07:38):
my early twenties. It was actually since the diagnosis of
PCOS and learning more and then speaking to therapists, it
finally clicked that this was what I was experiencing, anxiety
and some depression. It's really hard being the person being
the patient and having to connect the dots yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Right, right, So for our audience who may not be familiar,
can you give us like a one oh one version
of what PCOS is. And then since you talked about
it being connected to anxiety for you, can you talk
a little bit about that connection.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
So, PCOS, or polycystic ovary syndrome, is the most common
hormone disorder in women or people born with uterus and
PCOS can be diagnosed with two to three of the following.
So if you have irregular menstrual cycles or irregular ovulation,
(08:34):
that's one. If you have signs of high androgens, which
are like male hormones like testosterone, such as facial hair
growth or just excessive facial embody hair that's one of
the signs. Or severe acne or hair loss like I
was experiencing. Those are signs of high androgens. Or if
(08:58):
you have a blood test show that you have higher
levels of androgens, those are that's two, so irregular periods
or a regular ovulation signs or blood work showing high androgens,
or three ultrasound transvaginal ultrasounds showing polycystic ovaries. So these
(09:19):
are little cysts that form in around the ovaries, and
what these are are immature follicles or immature eggs. They're
not ovulating as they should, and so some people may
have enlarged ovaries or lots of these little immature follicles
on ultrasound. So if you have two or three of those,
(09:41):
that's how you get diagnosed with PCOS. And actually the
latest guideline also includes the hormone amh antimularian hormone which
can be used instead of ultrasound. So I had irregular cycles,
I had the poly cystick ovaries, so that's how I
(10:02):
got diagnosed with PCOS. Mental health conditions are really prevalent
in PCOS. We're talking anxiety, depression, even bipolar and eating disorders.
Things that a lot of our doctors are clinicians don't
even know or understand, are part of the picture of
the profile of PCOS. Because PCOS is not a disease,
(10:25):
it's a syndrome, which is a constellation of various symptoms.
You may experience two or three and the next person
may experience ten or twelve things. You can line up
ten people with PCOS and they'll all have some different
combination of the syndrome. And so it can be difficult
(10:49):
as a person living with the condition to navigate because
the treatment options aren't the same for everyone. There's a
lot of trial and error around managing PCOS, and there
just is not enough information to help to navigate all
of what you're dealing with.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
So you had the mis periods, which I think for
a lot of people is like a sign like okay,
especially if your period has been regular that you go
to your doctor, like, Okay, something's going on here, But
you mentioned that you had like the hair loss earlier
in your life and you wouldn't have connected it to
the miss period later. Are there other things that people
(11:29):
should be on the lookout for, because some of this
it sounds like if you didn't ask your doctor for
screenings of hormone levels and stuff like that, you would
never know, like what your levels were. So are there
other symptoms and signs that, like to the naked eye,
we should be paying attention to maybe alert our healthcare team.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
Look, the PCOS presents most often in puberty, so if
and but a lot of the symptoms kind of coincide
with puberty in everyone, right, So irregular periods or a
few years or you may have acne. Right, But if
you survey and we have surveyed patients with PCOS, most
(12:09):
people say, I knew something was wrong before I got
my period or when I was a teenager. But the
most common thing is the irregular cycles and teenagers, what
that means is if you get your period less than
twenty five days apart or greater than forty five days apart.
In adults, it's if you get your periods less than
(12:31):
twenty five days apart or greater than thirty five days apart.
So like for me, now, I could get my period
like twice a month, and that's that's kind of miserable
for a lot of people. Or you may have really
prolonged heavy periods for even up to three months. Some
(12:52):
people are reported having their periods for a long time,
and that's connected to so many things, fatigue, becoming an
et cetera. So these are some of the signs that
are usually dismissed as oh, that's just a bad period,
or oh, that's just how your periods are. So there's
a lot of dismissive language around the experience of menstruation.
(13:17):
That's irregular or that's abnormal, right, you know, a lot
of us just kind of take it because our healthcare
providers say that's normal or that's just something you're going
to have to deal with. So if your provider or
your doctor says that to you, and you know, because
the majority of us will know that something is off
(13:37):
or something is not right, get a second opinion, get
a third opinion. But yes, if you have facial hair,
excessive body hair, and it's different from other people, the
growth is different you're growing a beard, you're growing mustache,
not the fine heres, but course heres. That's always something
(13:58):
to bring to the attention of a physician.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
And if you're.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Losing hair at a rate that feels alarming to you
or feels abnormal to you, also bring that up. And
we at PCO a challenge. We have resources to communicate
with your doctors, right Doctor Patient Communication Guide, share decision
making tools because sometimes it's daunting to speak to your physicians,
(14:23):
and sometimes you don't know whether or not to just
take their word for it. So sometimes it's good to
be prepared with questions or concerns ahead of time, so
you can say, I learned about this condition PCOS and
it sounds like this is something that could be affecting me.
I have your regular periods, this is what my periods
(14:45):
look like. Or I am very concerned about the rate
my body hair is growing or the rate my hair
I'm losing hair. I'm concerned about that. Can you evaluate this,
can you check this out? I've come to realize, just
based on so many stories, that many of us, and
(15:06):
many of us as black women, we don't.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Know what's normal. We don't know what's.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
A normal period, and so sometimes it's just good to
ask ask your doctor. Well I bleed for this much?
Is that normal? Information is your best weapon against any
medical condition.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Can you mentioned that this is the most commonly diagnosed
hormone concern. Exactly how common is it? Sasha?
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Well I said, it's the most common hormone disorder, and
women of fifty to seventy percent are going undiagnosed.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
It's so prevalent.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
It's between ten to twenty percent of women have pcos
and it's unfortunately going undiagnosed because of the lack of awareness,
which is growing. I'm here to tell you that there's hope,
there's positive outlook. Organizations such as Ours PCOS Challenge we
(15:59):
build this advocacy platform for patients to start using their
stories to advocate for better healthcare, better treatment options, and
just better education around pcos. So there is hope. Awareness
is building. However, yes, ten percent of women is nothing
(16:19):
to sneeze at. It's not a loan number. It's quite prevalent.
It's more common than diabetes, and it also can lead
to diabetes and pre diabetes, which we can talk about
a little bit more later.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
More from our conversation after the break, but first, a
snippet of our special bonus episode coming out this Friday,
with Natasha Rothwell of Hulu's How to Die Alone.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
I started working on this project about seven and a
half years ago. I was on Insecure and I got
a development deal for a pilot and it was basically
like having the proverbial legacy of paper passed to me
the meeting, and I was terrified, just truly terrified of like,
(17:05):
I don't know what it is I want to say
or what I want to do.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
And I come out of.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
The world of improv and one of the biggest tenants
is follow the fear, and at the time, dying alone
and wrestling with that idea and the difference between being
alone and lonely was a huge part of what I
was going through, and so I decided to write about that.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
So you mentioned that because the consolation of symptoms can
be different for different patients, that the treatment plans look
very different sometimes. Can you give us an idea of
what some of the maybe more common treatment plans you've
seen for patients diagnosed with PCO is.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
So PCOS and obesity goes hand in hand for a
lot of people, It's not really well understood or as
understood as it should be why fat behaves differently in
someone with PCOS and someone without PCOS. So if your
doctor just tells you to lose weight and come back
(18:16):
to see them in six months, like minded, ask your doctor,
what would you tell a person who wasn't overweight or
wasn't in a bigger body, right, how would you treat
that person? And the answer is probably the same way. Right,
the toolbox is so limited. I'll tell you the treatment
plan for PCOS is number one is lifestyle.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Number two.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
The first line of treatment therapy for PCOS is birth
control fills and also next is met foreman or intul
insensitizers or diabetes drugs that are used off label for PCOS.
And then everything else is treating the symptoms. So where
(19:00):
if you are a person who's struggling with excessive hair growth,
you may also be prescribed medications such as sperrinalactone or
any anti androgen medications which can help to lower the
male hormones so to speak. If you're a person who
has facial hair, you may also use electrolysis or laser
(19:24):
hair removal. So it's based on your symptoms and the toolbox.
There are zero zero i FD approved medications for PCOS.
Everything that's used in PCOS is off label use, and
sometimes it's helpful, sometimes it's not. So when I mentioned earlier,
it's trial and error. Most people will get put on
(19:45):
birth control. It may affect you in one way, it
may affect you negatively. For example, I'll tell my personal
experience was one of the first medications that I was
prescribed was outside of oral contraceptives, was Justin privera to
help to bring on a bleed. And what that did
to me was I experienced severe depressive symptoms for those
(20:10):
seven plus days that I was on it. And this
is a commonly reported problem. Some people do not do
well on especially for Justin only birth control. Others do
just fine. It does require an individualized approach, but it
also requires a multidisciplinary approach. The best way to manage
(20:31):
PCOS is to have a team who's helping you. A
psychologist if you're experiencing mental health challenges. A dietitian or
nutritionist to help you figure out an eating plan that
works for you and that can even change over time.
Someone to help you with the best form of movement
(20:53):
or exercise, an obgyn, sometimes an endocrinologist and some of
the others I've met earlier. So it's complex depending on
which symptoms you have in that constellation. And also it's
complex in terms of there's no one size fits all treatment.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
But when you do.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Find what works for you, it's freeing, it's liberating, and
you can get back to health.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
I am not surprised that you then ended up finding
and founding an organization like PCOS Challenged, because it sounds
like for this kind of concern and many others where
there's not a lot of information, people are discovering it
for themselves in conjunction with their healthcare professionals. I'm sure
that community is really really important. Can you talk about
(21:45):
founding your organization, PCOS Challenge and the role that community
has helped has played for you in navigating your diagnosis.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So immediately the same day when I went home and
after my die diagnosis, I said, this is not right.
Something has to be done. There's too little information. And
then me finding out that there's so many people who
are impacted by this, I immediately said I needed to
(22:15):
do something. To form a nonprofit with the original goal
or initial goal of just educating people bringing evidence based
information to the PCOS community. So our mission is still
the same to raise awareness and help people with PCOS
to prevent some of the comorbid conditions that can stem
(22:37):
from PCOS. But we quickly realized that the lack of
awareness was leading to so many downstream issues like the
lack of funding for research, which is why we don't
have enough information or enough options for patients. So we
had to build the legislative advocacy platform for pcos. There
(23:01):
were no bills that mentioned pcos and how research is
funded is the largest funder of biomedical research is the NIH.
And if the NIH or our government doesn't know that
this problem exists, then it won't be solved, it won't
be fixed. So we worked and literally knocked on every
(23:24):
door in Congress in Washington, DC and wrote resolutions writing
other language to raise a profile of pcos but also
for funding PCOS research, for improving treatment options for PCOS.
And we're doing this using patients stories. Every year, patients
(23:47):
meet with their legislators about PCOS and share their stories
and share how it's impacted them, their families, their communities,
and so the power in your story is real, right,
it can lead to change, which it has, So we
officially got September designated as PCOS Awareness Months and continuing
(24:12):
to work with government agencies on multiple issues around PCOS.
PCOS is connected to so many things that we care
about public health, so our vision is that PCOS is
treated as a public health priority. PCOS is also connected
to infertilities, the most common cause of infertility caused by
(24:34):
lack of ovulation in women. It's also connected to diabetes.
Fifty percent of PCOS patients will become diabetic or pre
diabetic before age forty so in your teens, twenties, thirties,
and other conditions that impact health non alcoholic fatty liver
(24:54):
disease and domeutrial cancer. And as we spoke about earlier,
is mental health issues, mental health disorders, mental health conditions.
So PCOS impacts our entire quality of life, and our
organization is working diligently with the patient community, working together
(25:18):
with the research and clinician communities to not only raise
the profile, but just improve outcomes and improve the future
for everyone impacted by PCOS.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
I wonder, Sasha, if you could talk a little bit
about the connection between PCOS and diabetes and some of
these other comorbid conditions that you mentioned.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Some of the underlying issues in PCOS include insulin resistance
and inflammation, and that's connected to so many things. A
woman with PCOS may become diabetic or pre diabetic before
age forty, at a young age if there's no intervention, right,
if she doesn't know that she has PCOS, and she
(25:59):
does doesn't have the tools or the support to prevent
some of these conditions. But PCOS is also connected to infertility.
As I mentioned, it's the most common cause of infertility
in women and caused by irregular ovulation. The good news
there is that PCOS women have the same amount of
(26:23):
children as those without PCOS. However, it may take you longer.
But imagine if you don't understand or you don't know
that you have this, So that information that you have
PCOS could give you kind of a leg up. Right,
you can have the opportunity to incorporate prevention efforts like
helping to prevent some of these issues if you understand
(26:46):
what PCOS is and if you understand how it impacts
your health. So a lot of women struggle to get pregnant,
but when you do get pregnant, PCOS also puts youohigh
risk for matern no health complications like perclimcia, gestational diabetes,
c section, and even miscarriage. One of the reasons we
(27:11):
advocate so diligently for earlier intervention is that if we
understand that we have PCOS, we can potentially prevent and
understand our risk for some of these conditions and save
lives right. PCOS is a metabolic condition that can lead
to non alcoholic fatty liver disease and even stroke. So
(27:35):
it's a really serious condition that more doctors, every doctor
who sees women should know about.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
More from our conversation after the break, Sasha, can you
share any self care strategies or things that have been
helpful to you for other community members who may be struggling,
Like what kinds of things help you to manage your
(28:02):
PCOS on a day to day basis?
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Number one for me is mental health. I know if
I am not feeling my best, if I'm struggling with
anxiety or depression, that does not serve me, does not
serve my family, and I can't show up as my
best self. So I see a therapist and I continue therapy,
(28:26):
but then I also implement certain things yoga, walking. I
do know that when I don't do these things, I
don't feel my best and I don't feel worse, and
I mean I.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
Do feel worse. So it's just.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Being intentional about managing my mental health also helps me
to do some of the other lifestyle things that I'm
supposed to do right, adhere to things that my doctor
tells me to do, even taking medications. So my personal
opinion is that your mental health should come first. That
(29:01):
should be your priority in order to fully manage your
PCOS and anything for that matter. But I think for
most of us, finding what form of exercise works for
us and what that means to you is what that
means to you, right, what are your goals? Are you
(29:22):
doing this to feel better mentally? Are you doing this
to feel more alert or to battle fatigue? Are you
doing this for weight loss? So find the exercise and
the eating habits that work for you, that make you
feel good, that make you feel happy. One of the
first things that we'll get told is don't do this
(29:44):
or eat less of this. Find someone who can work
with you, who can guide you to adding things to
your life that make you feel good. Right, Adding foods
to your life, adding practices, adding exercise, adding hobbies to
your life that make you feel good, because when you
do feel good, you do feel more accomplished and ready
(30:08):
to take on whatever challenges you are And let's be real,
PCOS is a challenge, and that's why it was we
named the organization PCOS Challenge because it is a challenge
to have this diagnosis. But then once you do find
the strength, once you do become empowered, you can challenge
this condition to live your best life. So find what
(30:31):
makes you happy.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
That's number one. Two.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Find a healthcare team that also wants to work in
partnership with you, and that's what it is. It's supposed
to be working in partnership with you to achieve your goals.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
What are your healthcare goals?
Speaker 3 (30:47):
Not the goals that your doctor sets for you, but
what you want to set for your life. And these
are things that I had to learn and many people
had to learn as a part of the formula for
living a healthier life, not just with PCOS, but with anything,
just living a healthier life. Find the healthcare team and
(31:07):
find a support team, whether that's your friends, your family.
Share what you're comfortable sharing and what you're not comfortable
sharing with your family and friends, share it with your therapists,
right because people are going to say things. People are
going to say things that can bring you down. I
was just at a conference, an infertility conference, where people
(31:30):
would share what their family members would say to them,
why aren't you giving him them babies? You know, things
that can feel like daggers to your heart and soul.
And people sometimes aren't doing this maliciously, but they just
don't know or sometimes I think we need to tell them.
But share what you're comfortable with. So yeah, that's the formula.
(31:54):
Find your people, whether it's in the medical field and
or your personal space, your personal community, and find the
things that make you happy. Because they're going to be
different types of medications that come at you, different types
of supplements, different types of diets and eating plans that
(32:15):
you may make your head spin. I think the one
thing that should connect the dots for you and your
health is that this brings you joy.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
This brings you joy.
Speaker 3 (32:26):
So that's my personal message, and I just want everyone
with PCOIS to know that whether you're dealing with infertility,
whether you're dealing with trying to lose weight or body
image issues, or just loneliness. It can be a lonely
diagnosis to navigate. Just know that there's hope, there's an
(32:49):
organization that is advocating on behalf of you, but that
you can also feel empowered by joining us and advocate
on behalf of yourself and the other millions who are
dealing with PCOS.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
So, Sasha, In addition to PCOS Challenge, are there other
organizations or documentaries or social media accounts that you would
suggest for somebody who's wanting to learn more information or
get some additional support.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Oh yeah, well, definitely PCOS Challenge. There are a few
organizations and very few around the world. I don't think
it needs to be specific to PCOS. And one of
the things that I found is that I would get
fatigued being hyper focused on whatever it is that's troubling me.
(33:36):
And this is one thing that and I've personally taken
social media breaks, so I connect with people in person
a lot more than I do on social media. What
you consume on the Internet or wherever, make it well rounded, right,
Try things that you hadn't tried before. Meet people, even
(33:59):
if you're an intro meet people who are like minded,
who have similar interests. So your life does not need
to revolve around having PCOS, even if you do have PCOS.
That's what I think. Just expand your interests too, find
things out there that don't always have to remind you
(34:22):
about your diagnosis.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Right, So, yeah, that's actually my response to that.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Got it? Well? Thank you so much for that, Sasha.
And where can we stay connected with you? What is
your website as well as any social media channels you'd
like to share?
Speaker 3 (34:36):
So it's at PCOS Challenge on Socials and website is
PCOS Challenge dot org.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Perfect.
Speaker 1 (34:44):
We'll be sure to include all of that in the
show notes. Thank you so much for joining us, Sasha.
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Thanks doctor Joy for having me, and thanks for the
wonderful work that you do for a community. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
I appreciate it. I'm so glad Sasha was able to
join us for this episode. To learn more about her
and the work she's doing, be sure to visit the
show notes at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash Session
three seventy eight, and don't forget to text this episode
to two of your girls right now. If you're looking
for a therapist in your area, visit our therapist directory
(35:14):
at Therapy for blackgirls dot com slash directory and if
you want to continue digging into this topic or just
be in community with other sisters, come on over and
join us in the Sister Circle. It's our cozy corner
of the Internet designed just for black women. You can
join us at Community dot Therapy for blackgirls dot com.
This episode was produced by Elise Ellis and Zaria Taylor.
(35:35):
Editing was done by Dennison Bradford. Thank y'all so much
for joining me again this week. I look forward to
continuing this conversation with you all real soon. Take good care.
Speaker 4 (35:48):
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