|
|
Dear PCOS Challenger,
September is PCOS Awareness Month
I wanted to share with you my personal journey with PCOS as it pertains to PCOS awareness and support. When I was diagnosed with PCOS in April of 2008, it became immediately evident that there was a need for more support and access to PCOS information and education. Being a very private person, it was a big decision to make. I would have to reveal my diagnosis to not only my family and friends, but to the entire world. However, I realized that creating an organization to help others with this relatively unknown condition was not only about me. There was a much bigger picture involved. I considered the alternative of doing nothing or waiting for others to make a change, but it was unacceptable for me to see the injustice of millions of women with PCOS continuing to go undiagnosed and to not get the support that they needed.
In December 2008, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization PCOS Challenge, Inc. was officially formed. I quit my job as a microbiologist in January 2009 to dedicate myself to PCOS Challenge full time. It was a "brave" move, particularly in the midst of a recession. Despite the many hard days and the major difficulty of getting others to support the PCOS community, I persevere because I always remind myself of how much we need awareness and cure for this condition.
How Far We've Come
Three years ago before PCOS Challenge, women did not have regular access to world renowned PCOS experts and other health and wellness professionals where they could ask questions about the condition and their symptoms. They did not have over 100 hours of organized free audio and video educational information about the condition. There were no radio or television shows focusing solely on PCOS, and there were only a handful of support websites. PCOS Challenge pioneered these programs, after being told by some media outlets that they cover "enough of that type of stuff." Instead of being outraged and feeling defeated, we created the PCOS Challenge television show as a way for our voices to be heard.
Since our programs began in 2009, we've helped many women find answers that helped them overcome their struggles with infertility, weight gain, anxiety and depression and reduce their risk for life-threatening related conditions.
A Cure for PCOS Starts with You
I cannot continue the fight for women with PCOS alone. I encourage other women with PCOS and their supporters to donate and volunteer. Investing in this cause is investing in yourself, your daughters and our future. We need to show that we mean business. This is the only way that we will be taken seriously.
Lastly, some individuals have commented about the frequency of the programming. Keep in mind, that 1-2 people are volunteering their time and doing the job of an entire production staff of 30 or more people, and sometimes working around the clock to release the episodes. It's a tough job, but it has to get done. If you would like to see more and higher quality programming available faster, I strongly encourage you to donate to our efforts.
September is PCOS Awareness Month. Send a message to the public that we will not be ignored.
Remember, a cure for PCOS starts with you. Join PCOS Challenge today in the fight against PCOS and together we will change millions of lives!
In good health,
Sasha Ottey
Executive Director
|
Watch the Latest Episode of the
PCOS Challenge Television Show |
 Episode 04:
PCOS and Fertility
The PCOS Challenge women meet with Reproductive Endocrinologist Dr. Nancy Durso to discuss PCOS and fertility options. They also begin phase two of their workout routines with Fitness Coach Josef Brandenburg and receive their nutrition plans from Nutrition Coach Rebecca Mohning, RD.
|
| PCOS Challenge Expert Series |
|
You Are Not Alone. You Now Have a Team of Experts to
Help You Overcome PCOS!
As part of our continuing mission to provide women with PCOS the best information and support resources for overcoming Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS Challenge has teamed up with five renowned PCOS health and wellness experts to bring you the PCOS Challenge Expert Series™.
PCOS Expert Series Workshops (CDs Now Available)
|
| Featured PCOS Awareness Videos |
Help Spread PCOS Awareness
Share these videos on Facebook, Twitter and your other social networks.
PCOS Awareness - Words from Women
PCOS Challenge asked women with PCOS to share one thing that they wanted the public to know about PCOS. These were some of their responses.
|
PCOS Public Service Announcement
Join PCOS Challenge in helping to make PCOS a public health priority!
|
PCOS Support - Jaumeiko
Cast member Jaumeiko shares her experience being a part of the historic PCOS Challenge television show and the importance of PCOS support and community.
|
PCOS Health Tip -
PCOS and Body Image
PCOS Challenge Emotional Wellness Coach Dr. Ruth Wittersgreen provides help for body image issues and depression related to PCOS.
|
|
| Spotlight: PCOS Challengers Making a Difference |
|
Why I Support PCOS Challenge:
"The PCOS Nutrition Center has chosen to support PCOS Challenge, Inc. because of its outstanding efforts to raise public awareness of PCOS. Through the award-winning PCOS Challenge TV show and impressive educational topics presented by experts in the field, PCOS challenge provides support to millions of women who live with this complex syndrome."
|
 LuAyne Brown
|
Battle of the Pole Dance Studios
PCOS Fundraiser
Pole dancing has become a popular fitness activity for many women across the country. LuAyne shows that women do not have to be lean to have a positive body image. She bravely and confidently competes with other dancers and is often the only plus-sized competitor. LuAyne is hosting the Battle of the Pole Dance Studios fundraiser benefiting PCOS Challenge, Inc. Local pole dancing studios will perform in front of a live audience and will be able to earn team superlatives and prizes for their studio.
This year's event will be held at The District Nightclub in Washington, DC on November 12, 2011 at 7:00 PM EST. For more information, visit http://www.battlepole.com.
Why I Support PCOS Challenge:
"This year I was diagnosed with PCOS and it was a big pill to swallow. I felt really alone. I didn't know who to talk to, what to say or what the next steps were. I knew I couldn't be the only woman in the world who felt this way after their diagnosis. When it was time to work on this year's event, I knew in my heart I had to choose an organization that actively advocates for women with PCOS. That organization is PCOS Challenge!"
|
|
| New on PCOS Challenge Radio |
Upcoming Radio Show
 |
|
Guest
|
Date/Time
|
|
Angela Grassi, RD
Author
The PCOS Workbook
|
Wednesday,
September 14, 2011 at
6pm, EST
|
|
Top 10 Tips for Every Woman with PCOS
Week 2 of PCOS Awareness Month, Angela Grassi, author of The PCOS Workbook joins the show to speak about the top ten tips for women with PCOS. This is for every woman with PCOS, whether dealing with weight issues or not, and whether trying to conceive or not. Angela is a Registered Dietitian and also has PCOS. She is author of The PCOS Workbook and The Dietitian's Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
Featured Past Radio Shows
Missed an episode of the PCOS Challenge radio show or want to listen to it again. Listen to it any time on PCOS.tv
|
Featured Article: Do You Know If You Have
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome? |
 |
There is so much confusion surrounding PCOS, and there is quite a bit of debate going on in the medical community as well. In the United States, there is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) criteria for diagnosing PCOS. There is another diagnostic criteria by the Rotterdam European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)/American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). The most recent criteria is by the Androgen Excess and PCOS Society.
Here is a breakdown of the NIH, Rotterdam, and AE/PCOS diagnostic criteria for diagnosing PCOS...
|
|
| About PCOS Challenge, Inc. |
 |
PCOS Challenge, Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides support for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) through the PCOS Challenge Support and Social Networking Site (PCOSChallenge.com); PCOS Challenge Corporate Site (PCOSChallenge.org); PCOS Challenge Radio Show; local offline support groups; and 13-week fitness, nutrition, and mental wellness challenges.
|
If you know other women with PCOS, encourage them to join the PCOSChallenge.com site to gain the information and support they need.
Help spread the word and take the PCOS Challenge!
|
|
|
10 Reasons
PCOS Challenge Needs Your Donation Today |
A Cure for PCOS
Starts with You!
We need your help now to:
- Raise greater awareness about PCOS to bring in more funding for a cure and to gain more support from corporations, private foundations and the general public for research and support programs.
- Keep top quality PCOS programs free or available at the lowest possible cost.
- Create more local PCOS Challenge support programs across the country.
- Hold events to help women and teens get screened for PCOS.
- Create a referral hotline for PCOS patients to find doctors, specialists and other health care professionals.
- Expand doctor-patient outreach programs for current PCOS patients and women newly diagnosed with PCOS.
- Expand PCOS Challenge television programming into more cable markets across the U.S. and abroad.
- Increase the frequency, extend the length and enhance the overall quality of all PCOS Challenge programming.
- Help end health care disparities due to language barriers by making Spanish and other language translations of PCOS Challenge programming available.
- Provide audio descriptions, closed captioning and transcriptions for the PCOS Challenge television and radio shows to make them accessible to blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing communities.
Your support will make a difference.
PCOS Challenge receives very little government funding and relies on the support of the community in the form of volunteers, private donations and fundraising events.
Nearly two-thirds of our annual budget comes from individual donors like you. Every donation and every dollar amount makes a difference.
93% of all donations received go directly to support programs for women with PCOS.
Please donate now!
|
|
PCOS Challenge
Online Groups |
|
|
| Subscription Reminder |
You are receiving this email from PCOS Challenge, Inc. because you have had an existing relationship with our nonprofit organization; purchased a product or service from our company; subscribed to our newsletter; or are a member of one of our PCOS support websites.
To ensure that you continue to receive emails from PCOS Challenge, add support@pcoschallenge.com to your address book today.
|
|
