Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Infertility

With the rates of infertility rising within Canada, it is important to investigate factors associated with this rise. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) affects many women in Canada and is a leading contributor to infertility.

My understanding of infertility with respect to PCOS

My friend recently got diagnosed with PCOS. Although she tried briefly explaining to me what it was, I didn’t take the time to properly look into it and understand the causes, symptoms and long-term effects. I tried supporting my friend without knowing what exactly PCOS was, without knowing the extremity and severity of the symptoms. After following this module on PCOS, I have had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding about PCOS and I understand why my friend showed some of the symptoms she did. I understand why she felt so distressed about having PCOS and I am able to sympathize with her difficulty in coping with PCOS. Because she also deals with mild depression, PCOS’ alterations to the homeostatic hormonal levels sometimes made her feel worse about herself. Completing the OLM has helped me to better empathize with my friend as I am aware about physiological basis of her condition. Having abnormally heavy menstruations was something she really struggled with as she experienced pain and discomfort more than the average girl, which translated to the inability to focus and complete schoolwork and other responsibilities at times. Completing the OLM has enabled me to understand the multifaceted nature of this disease; not only do patients have to deal with the possibility of being infertile but also some women are struck with heterogenous endocrinopathy characterized by hyperandrogenism and suffer from the effects of this, such as excessive hair growth – this can really affect their self-esteem and their confidence. Through personal encounters, I realize that women tend to keep information about their health (i.e. PCOS) to themselves but I think it’s important to remove the stigma and encourage an open, safe environment in which women can talk about their health so that women are able to support and uplift one another. I also felt inspired hearing about Dr. McLean talk about her friend who was able to conceive after many years of trying and I would like to share this story as a form of encouragement and motivation to the women in my life who I know are experiencing the same difficulties. I think knowing the biological and physiological bases of these health conditions can help us support and understand one another which can lead to more positive health outcomes for those suffering. Also, after learning that PCOS is a spectrum disorder, I think that medical research should focus on investigating the varying symptoms and raising awareness about this so that women are educated and know when to consult medical professionals. My friend, for the longest time, didn’t suspect at all that she had PCOS because she was unaware of the symptoms, thinking that she just had an irregular period due to the hormonal imbalances from her depression, and therefore she delayed consulting a medical professional. I think this idea of raising awareness ties in with identifying the role of scientists and the idea of science literacy, which are important learning outcomes of this course. The general public would benefit if scientists doubled their role to investigators within the field of science as well as educators, spreading their knowledge in understandable and applicable terms. Overall, learning more about PCOS has enabled me to see the multifaceted nature of infertility and motivates me to be an adequate source of support for those I know who are affected.

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Considering how the distribution of power and privilege in our society impacts infertility as a whole.

The distribution of power and privilege is most definitely unequal within society. Often those with privilege have advantages that others may not have, giving them the ability to hold power within society. Thus, power and privilege go hand in hand at times. Those with power are able to influence the outcomes for others within society, for example through the establishment of laws or censoring the knowledge of others. Those with power often have the resources and/or assets to maintain their power as well. Since privilege gives some people within society an advantage, they are usually higher up on a power-ranking and have the resources to maneuver through society and live a better life. However, there are so many people on the other side of the spectrum who are born into unfortunate conditions and face unfair disadvantages. For example, a privileged child may be able to go to a good school without any financial or sociocultural troubles and obtain an education. Because they are educated, they will most likely learn and be engaged in healthy behaviors (or at least know the consequences of practising unhealthy behaviors) and will avoid risks that may contribute to infertility, or other such diseases. However, someone that is less privileged may go to a public school and then proceed to university with a heavy financial burden and may face many sociocultural barriers when trying to apply for jobs, positions, etc. They may not be able to obtain the same level of education or career success simply due to the socioeconomic status, or racial group they were born into. Because of this, they may be unaware of the implications of certain lifestyle behaviors which may lead to adverse health outcomes such as infertility. Additionally, the stress that they face being part of a minority group may also cause them to resort to unhealthy behaviors as a form of coping, which may contribute to infertility. The unequal distribution of power also makes it harder to access adequate medications, treatment options and support services which can help infertile couples conceive. I think that we need to find ways to alleviate the inequality in power within society and encourage those with privilege to uplift those who aren’t privileged so that they have equal opportunities in life, access to fertility resources and so that they don’t face health disparities related to infertility. Having privilege isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it can be used in a facilitative manner. This emphasizes the learning outcome of collaboration as society must work together to address the concerns of infertility and the relation it has to power and privilege. When considering power and privilege, I often categorize myself as part of a minority and thus disadvantaged, but this course has challenged my thinking as I realize that my parents are well educated and have good jobs, we are within a good socioeconomic bracket, I have not had financial troubles throughout my life and thus I have had many more opportunities than some others, which makes me privileged in some ways. Because my mother is a physician, she has made me aware, from a young age, of healthy and unhealthy practises, has educated me about menstruation and fertility and is someone I can easily consult if I am going through any health issues. Although I am still a minority, this course has encouraged me to use my privilege in a facilitative manner to try to raise awareness about the disparities regarding infertility and slowly work towards a more just community. I plan to do this using the self-regulated learning strategies and through increased knowledge which I will obtain from learning modules and class discussions.