Description

Since September is PCOS Awareness Month, Jane and Sabrina are tackling one of their favorite topics: stigma and PCOS.

PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) impacts at least 10% of menstruating people. Common symptoms like irregular periods and subsequent infertility, weight gain, acne, female-pattern hair loss, hirsutism, and mental health conditions are all very stigmatized in today’s culture. For that reason, many people with PCOS may struggle with internal, external, or anticipated stigma.

In today’s episode, Sabrina and Jane start off with Jane’s own experience with PCOS before getting into the research behind stigma and chronic conditions. Tune in to hear more about:

• How and why Jane internalized feelings of being “defective” because of her PCOS diagnosis (note: PCOS does not make you defective; but society tells us it does!) 
• How Jane’s feelings about PCOS have shifted throughout the years and what has helped her confront the shame and embarrassment she felt about symptoms
• How internalized stigma still shows up with health-related issues in Jane’s life
• Internalized vs. experienced stigma vs. anticipated stigma: What they are, how they contribute to lower quality of life and worse health outcomes, and how various forms of privilege play a role
• The importance of re-framing your condition, sharing your story, educating yourself, holding healthcare providers accountable, and other tips when it comes to confronting, reducing, and even eliminating feelings of shame and embarrassment from PCOS and other chronic health issues

STUDIES

• The Impact of Stigma in Healthcare on People Living with Chronic Illnesses
• Barriers to routine gynecological cancer screening for White and African-American obese women: Study findings demonstrate that people with stigmatized conditions (e.g., higher BMI) tend to delay care. This study found that a higher BMI resulted in significantly lower rates of female preventative care like pap tests, pelvic examinations, and mammograms. 90% of the women in the study had health insurance (and these conditions are covered by insurance) suggesting that the main causes of delaying or not receiving preventative care was related to disrespectful treatment and negative attitudes of providers (experienced stigma) and internalized stigma (embarrassment about weight).

OTHER EPISODES

• General PCOS podcast Hormone Zone episode

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