Women welcome annual health checks for condition affecting millions

When Neelam Heera-Shergill was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at the age of 18, she feared it could one day stop her becoming a mother.

"I'm never going to have children. That's it, my life is over," she said.

The condition affects about one in eight women in the UK, yet despite its broad impact on health and wellbeing, Neelam, from Birmingham, said she was left with little understanding of what her diagnosis really meant.

It is one of the reasons she supports the decision to rename PCOS to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) earlier this year, alongside a recommendation for annual health checks to improve diagnosis and long-term care.

The NHS said PMOS, which affects millions of women, was a health condition that could affect hair growth, periods, fertility and mood, external.

For Neelam, finding out she had the condition sent her into what she described as a "rabbit hole" of fear and uncertainty.

Source: BBC News Health RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)