“I may be hairy like a man but I'm still a queen.”

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition caused by androgens in women. Signs and symptoms of PCOS include irregular or no menstrual periods, heavy periods, excess body and facial hair, acne, pelvic pain and often difficulty getting pregnant. It affects approximately 10% of women. One woman affected by the condition has shared a blunt truth about an aspect of the condition that is rarely talked about. Tina Marie writes: “I have Polycystic ovary syndrome. As well as depression, anxiety, infertility, weight gain, hormonal imbalances, bloating, abdominal pains, acne, cysts, increased risk of cancer and everything else, a lot of woman including myself have to deal with facial hair!” Tina shared the post on the page of popular blogger Constance Hall. Alongside the post, she shared images of shaving her face. Tina continues: “Do you know how UNFEMININE this can make a woman feel?!? I've always been super self-conscious about it, but really just have to put this out there because I want create more awareness around this syndrome and how much it can impact someone's life especially if they don't know they have it.” “When you see someone who is overweight, has bald patches, or a woman who has facial hair do not judge!” “You never know what a person is going through and it's unfair to put someone into the "lazy and unhealthy" category without knowing their story. I know it's only natural for some of us to judge someone based on how they look but remember we are all fighting our own battles and you can never understand if you aren't willing to learn and listen.” The comments are filled with people sharing their own stories of PCOS and endometriosis. “I too suffer from PCOS along with endometriosis and adenomyosis, I was told at 17 I wouldn't be able to have kids as my endometriosis was so bad,” writes one woman. “I'm now 33 with a beautiful 8-year-old. He was a surprise let me tell you but a beautiful one.” “My symptoms like everyone else are different, I don't get excessive facial hair but my sister does and she has PCOS too... Don't let something like facial hair make u feel anything less than amazing and a beautiful woman. From what I can see you (like my sister) are a beautiful woman!”