Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common hormonal disorder, estimated to affect 8% to 13% of reproductive-aged women worldwide and five million women in the United States alone. It is a challenging condition to treat and is a leading cause of infertility, miscarriage, and even mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Crucially, women with PCOS are four times more likely to develop type-2 diabetes. Between 40% to 80% are also either overweight or obese.
Though PCOS is incurable, the symptoms can be managed with medications, lifestyle changes, and alternative treatments. Doctors will likely recommend habits like diet and exercise, as even a 5% to 10% body weight reduction can demonstrate improvements for the condition.
Therefore, women could benefit from learning about PCOS medication for weight loss, as treatments like metformin and glucagon-like peptide 1s (GLP-1s) can address PCOS-related insulin resistance. Metformin can also reduce fatty tissue, while GLP-1s can reduce appetite and cravings. Medication-assisted weight loss positively impacts insulin and hormone levels and reduces the risk of developing obesity-related conditions.
While living with PCOS can be frustrating and may even negatively impact one’s self-esteem, the stories of other women can encourage and help others feel less alone. A few famous faces have shared their PCOS journey with the public, serving to remove the stigma surrounding the condition.
Table of Contents
Bebe Rexha
Bebe is responsible for the viral hit “I’m Good (Blue)” in collaboration with David Guetta. But despite tremendous success as a musician and racking up hundreds of millions of streams, she opened up on The Jennifer Hudson Show about how tough it is to battle PCOS in the public eye. “It’s one of the leading causes of why women gain weight…I jumped, like, thirty pounds so quickly,” Rexha shared.
She also mentions having struggled with food and her weight her entire life, which was only exacerbated by pressure from her management to lose twenty pounds. Today, Bebe likes to mix up her workout routine, incorporating boxing, running, and yoga.
Keke Palmer
The Disney Channel alum bravely shared a barefaced selfie in December 2020, opening up about her adult acne and why it took so long to receive a PCOS diagnosis. She recalls being told to “drink water” and “have a better diet,” but that “it took me taking a personal look into my family that has a history of diabetes and obesity, to understand what was happening with me.”
Given that the incidence of women with PCOS having anovulatory infertility is as high as 80%, Keke’s pregnancy announcement when she hosted Saturday Night Live gave hope to her fans with similar struggles. To stay fit, she has mentioned her body responds well to Pilates.
View this post on Instagram
Credit: @Keke Palmer on Instagram]
Emma Thompson
The beloved British actress and screenwriter has shared her heartbreaking struggles with conception as a result of PCOS. After having her “miracle child,” Gaia, at 40, Thompson sought to have more children. She endured three years of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, only to be met with failure. “There’s been an awful lot of grief to get through in not being able to get pregnant again, but there are thousands and thousands of women like me who can’t have children,” she told a UK national paper. She eventually adopted a Rwandan child with her spouse, Greg Wise. When asked how she dropped two dress sizes in 2017, Thompson said she ran outside and ate three protein-rich meals daily.
Lea Michele
The Glee actress has been candid about her PCOS diagnosis, stating that the symptoms were “brutal.” Though she suffered from severe acne and weight gain, she didn’t receive a diagnosis until she was 30.
Her condition also resulted in a difficult pregnancy, with the actress suffering from heavy bleeding in the first trimester. Despite fears of miscarriage, Lea successfully gave birth to her son via C-section. She currently follows a plant-based diet and goes to yoga and cycling classes.
As more women continue to open up about their PCOS journey, the hope is that others with similar symptoms will seek medical attention. This can improve the rate of diagnoses and put more women on the path to healthy PCOS management.