PCOS can be a challenging time in a woman’s life, but these celebs are here to remind us that you’re not going through this alone.
ICYDK, PCOS means Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. It’s when a woman has a hormonal imbalances that causes their ovaries to fail to release eggs, thus having irregular menstrual cycles. There’s no definite cure for PCOS still, but its symptoms can be combated through lifestyle change, hormone pills, or weight loss.
Check out these brave women who’ve used their showbiz platform to open the vital conversation on women’s health.
Pauleen Luna
Three years after having baby Tali, the 34-year-old revealed that she had been diagnosed with PCOS. Taking to Instagram to journalize her fitness journey, Pauleen shared that, “Living with PCOS is no joke. Making good choices with my food intake and moving (it’s pilates, walking, spinning for me) has been my priority lately.”
In a recent post this March 20, Pauleen posted a rocking selfie and shared that she was steadily reaching her goal weight. “Slowly but surely and most importantly, happily.”
KC Concepcion
The Mega star’s daughter is no stranger to struggles of her own, as she opened up that the weight gain brought by PCOS halted her showbiz comeback.
“I am super grateful for work. I want to be super open about this because it’s something I also want to talk about in the future. I was diagnosed with PCOS.”
KC plans to talk more about her experiences soon to inspire other women.
Winwyn Marques
Even beauty queens get dealt with the PCOS hand. The former Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas titleholder shared that she also had to deal with weight gain after getting the diagnosis.
“I had a hard time adjusting sa pag-change ng body ko since I gained a few pounds, bloated na uncomfortable minsan, mood swings, it really depends.”
Despite the discomfort of having a new body image, Winwyn clarified that “you just have to find the right balance…It’s hard to adjust but with the help naman of people, eventually, you can fight it.”
She now regularly posts her wellness journey through Instagram.
Moira Dela Torre
The 27-year old songstress opened up about her PCOS struggles in a YouTube interview with Hannah Pangilinan, sharing that it even hindered her songwriting process at one point.
“There are times when I’m not eating well. I get brain fog. Like there was one time I forgot my own dog’s name. But I knew his name and I just couldn’t say it. And it was just so frustrating that it gave me so much anxiety. Like ‘what is happening?’ I just couldn’t remember.”
In the same interview, she also bravely talked about the hidden side-effects of PCOS: a decline in mental health. “I also learned recently that factor po siya kung bakit ako may depression, kung bakit ako may anxiety. Kasi nag-a-add up po talaga siya. That’s why I think women with polycystic ovaries need awareness.”
With PCOS ultimately affecting a woman’s reproductive health, Moira shared that she’s been on a special diet since October 2020 to help her get pregnant.
Bea Benedicto
Host Bea Benedicto has been consistently open about her hormonal imbalance journey, as she once stated that the combination of PCOS and hormone pills gave her “insane acne.”
She also recently revealed that she suffered from alopecia, as it can be a rare side-effect of the diagnosis along with the added stress from the pandemic.
