PCOS Awareness Lights Up the World: Global Communities Join Forces to Start Major Month of Unity and Advocacy

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PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association

Sep 01, 2021, 09:28 ET

ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 1, 2021, the first day of PCOS Awareness Month, PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association will kick off the fourth annual World PCOS Day of Unity. People around the world will come together in solidarity to promote PCOS Awareness and support those who are impacted by polycystic ovary syndrome. PCOS is a genetic, hormone, metabolic and reproductive disorder that affects up to 15 percent of women in the U.S. and up to 21 percent in other countries.

"For too long PCOS has been a silent epidemic," says Sasha Ottey, Executive Director of PCOS Challenge. "PCOS is the most common endocrine disorder and cause of anovulatory infertility in women. PCOS can lead to lifelong complications as well as life-threatening diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and endometrial cancer. Despite being one of the most common human disorders and its serious health consequences, PCOS continues to be one of the most underfunded and neglected areas of health. With 50-70 percent of women with PCOS going undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, many healthcare and community leaders are now recognizing the urgent need to increase awareness and education about the disorder."

To recognize World PCOS Day and PCOS Awareness Month, nearly 150 iconic landmarks throughout the U.S. and around the world from the New York Stock Exchange and the NASCAR Hall of Fame to the National Concert Hall in Dublin and the Adelaide Oval Stadium in Australia will display teal-colored lights in support of people affected by PCOS. The events will bring together patients and supporters, researchers, healthcare providers, industry leaders and others in an effort to educate the global community about PCOS and start a worldwide conversation about the need for timely diagnosis and improved treatment, care, and outcomes for people affected by PCOS.

On September 1, World PCOS Day participants will wear teal apparel to promote awareness: at work, in their communities and across social media. PCOS Challenge encourages followers to share personal videos, post testimonials and use hashtags and teal photo overlays to spread the message across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms. To directly impact healthcare policy and research, PCOS Challenge urges U.S.-based participants to contact their legislators about co-sponsoring H.Res.471 and S.Res.325 in the U.S. Congress, and H3735 in the Massachusetts Legislature, which recognize the seriousness of PCOS and the need for greater awareness and prioritization of the disorder.

For more information about the fourth annual World PCOS Day of Unity, lighting events, other PCOS Awareness Month activities or to schedule media interviews, please visit pcoschallenge.org and pcosawarenessmonth.org. Other major PCOS Awareness Month events include the PCOS Awareness Symposium in Philadelphia with in-person and virtual sessions and the PCOS Challenge 5K Run/Walk national campaign.

Some of the PCOS Awareness Month sponsors include Spruce Biosciences, Fertility CARE: The IVF Center; CCRM Fertility; Theralogix; RMA of Connecticut; The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics; Allara; CysterWigs; and HomeLight.

About PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association
Serving over 55,000 members, PCOS Challenge is the largest support and advocacy organization globally for people with PCOS. PCOS Challenge is the sponsoring organization for World PCOS Day and PCOS Awareness Month and offers supporting resources, information and events.

Media Contact:
William R. Patterson
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association
[email protected]
Telephone: 404-855-7244

SOURCE PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association