Women's Health Champions Join Forces on Capitol Hill for PCOS Advocacy Day

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During National Women's Health Week, advocates from around the country will team up in Washington, DC on Thursday, May 17th for PCOS Advocacy Day to meet with their lawmakers to address the significant gaps in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) care and research. The event, led by PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association, will unite PCOS patients and supporters and leading researchers, healthcare providers and industry professionals to share their stories and urge Members of Congress to make PCOS a priority.

PCOS is a serious genetic, hormone, metabolic and reproductive disorder that affects up to 15 percent of women in the U.S. It is one of the most critical, under-diagnosed and underfunded areas of health, which can lead to lifelong complications, infertility, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

"We are honored to serve as a voice for the millions of girls and women affected by PCOS throughout the U.S. and on military installations worldwide," says Sasha Ottey, Executive Director of PCOS Challenge. "The personal and economic burden of PCOS on the healthcare system is significant, and there is an urgent need for better care and increased PCOS research to help improve and save lives. PCOS is leading to major health problems that could be prevented if better understood through more research and addressed early by closing gaps in care."

"Fifty to 70 percent of women with PCOS are going undiagnosed or misdiagnosed," Ottey says. "PCOS Challenge is seeing far too many women who were never diagnosed with PCOS until their 40s and 50s, or who were never told about the associated health risks and are now battling diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer."

"Nations including Australia, China and India, and others, are now recognizing the seriousness and pervasiveness of PCOS and making it a priority," Ottey says. "We want our federal government to understand the breadth and depth of PCOS's impact on millions of American women and girls, to invest in adequate resources and programs, to make PCOS research a priority, to improve treatments and find a cure."

PCOS Advocacy Day kicks off on Wednesday, May 16th with a PCOS Advocacy Training event from 1:00-4:00 pm followed by meetings with lawmakers on May 17th. PCOS Advocacy Day attendees will share with Members of Congress how PCOS is affecting their districts and states. Using their collective experiences, participants will champion legislative priorities related to early PCOS detection and intervention, improved care and increased research to fight the disorder.

"The American Electrology Association is extremely proud to support PCOS Advocacy Day," says Pearl Warner, President of the American Electrology Association, a PCOS Advocacy Day sponsor. "Nearly every day, our members across the country see women and girls with PCOS and observe the devastating effects and psychosocial impact of the disorder. More needs to be done now to recognize and address this serious condition so women and girls affected may get the care they need."

Special Guest Announcements

PCOS Advocacy Day special guest speakers include U.S. Congressmen David Scott (GA-13) and Roger Marshall, M.D. (KS-01). Among those joining the event will be MTV television personality Maci Bookout; International Ms. Virginia 2018 Megan Kendal; PCOS Diva Amy Medling, author of the new book, Healing PCOS, and other community leaders.

For more information about PCOS Advocacy Day or to schedule media interviews, visit https://pcoschallenge.org/pcos-advocacy-day.

About PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association

Serving over 50,000 members, PCOS Challenge is the leading patient support and advocacy organization for women and girls with PCOS. The organization touches the lives of women with PCOS and their supporters each year through television and radio programming, support groups, grants, health screenings and awareness, education and advocacy initiatives. Since PCOS Challenge began in 2008, the organization has helped women overcome struggles with infertility, weight gain, hirsutism, anxiety and depression and reduce their risk for life-threatening related conditions including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

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

SOURCE PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association