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Dear PCOS Challenger,
For many newly diagnosed women and girls with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, the thought is scary that you have a condition that may potentially affect your fertility and incite vulnerability to other lifelong and dangerous diseases. Once diagnosed, take the time to grieve and gather information about the condition.
Know that PCOS does not mean the same for all. Not everyone has weight or fertility issues, and not everyone will get diabetes, cardiovascular disease, skin and hair issues, or dysfunctions of the immune system. Look to your own body to figure out what PCOS means for you.
Get Tested
Figure out what is happening with your body internally. Next, determine the "starting point" for the new life that you are going to lead and set short and long term goals to achieve. These changes do not have to be drastic.
Learn more about lab tests for PCOS.
Be sure to have the proper support system that includes good health care professionals if you have access to them. However, know that the fight is ultimately yours and you are the one in control of your life and future. If you cannot afford health care, seek out programs that may offer assistance, be proactive in your own home and learn ways to alter your lifestyle to promote better health.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome has a scary name; however, those who are successfully living a full and happy life with the condition almost certainly live by the mantra, "I have PCOS, but PCOS does not have me."
In good health,
Sasha Ottey
Executive Director
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Watch the Preview for Episode 05 of the
PCOS Challenge Television Show |
 Episode 05:
PCOS Integrative Care
Beth Heller, co-founder of Pulling Down the Moon, shares integrative care approaches to PCOS.
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 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.
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| Sponsor Spotlight |
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Circle + Bloom (PCOS Challenge Radio Show Sponsor)
 Joanne Verkuilen
Co-Founder
Circle + Bloom
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We salute our new radio show Gold sponsor, Circle + Bloom, for their continued support and commitment to the PCOS community! As a PCOS Challenge member, you are eligible for exclusive 20-30% discounts on Circle + Bloom mind-body audio programs for PCOS and fertility. Just enter PCOS Challenge discount code PCOS or TTCPCOS30 at the time of check out.
To learn more about Circle + Bloom programs for women with PCOS, listen to the PCOS Challenge radio show with Circle + Bloom co-founder, Joanne Verkuilen and visit CircleBloom.com.
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| PCOS Challenge Expert Series |
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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)
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| Featured PCOS Challenge Videos |
View these and other PCOS videos on
PCOS.tv and PCOSChallenge.com.
Ovarian Drilling and Fertility
Fertility specialist and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Nancy Durso discusses ovarian drilling and fertility options for women with PCOS.
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PCOS Awareness
Public Service Announcement - Advocate
Help make PCOS a public health priority. Share this PCOS Awareness video on Facebook, Twitter and your other social networks.
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| Member Spotlight: PCOS Challengers Making a Difference |
 Monika Woolsey
MS, RD
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inCYST Institute for Hormone Health
Monika is an avid supporter and notable figure of the PCOS community. She has dedicated her life to educating women with PCOS and their supporters about healthy living with PCOS and has established an organization dedicated to researching Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. She has also partnered with PCOS Challenge on multiple occasions to educate people about the best nutritional practices for women with PCOS and presented the workshop "Nutrition Essentials for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome" in the PCOS Challenge Expert Series. To learn more about Monika, visit inCyst.com
Why I Support PCOS Challenge:
"PCOS Challenge is one of the very few PCOS resources online that provides a wide spectrum of information for women with PCOS. You can find information about just about any treatment philosophy from traditional Western medicine to naturopathic to ayurveda, presented nonjudgmentally. Its use of a variety of media means there is something for just about every learning style and situation. And most importantly, they exercise due diligence as far as screening out the plethora of information sources that may not be accurate or helpful. If you're new to PCOS, or just looking for a one-stop-shop place to network and figure out your own next personal step, PCOS Challenge is your logical place to get started."
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 Terrance &
Erica Brewster
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PCOS Awareness Hope Concert
Terrance and Erica gave a PCOS Awareness Hope Concert in September at their church in San Bernardino, CA. Erica has PCOS and this husband and wife duo took the initiative to put on a concert to spread PCOS Awareness and raise funds to benefit PCOS Challenge.
Why I Support PCOS Challenge:
"I believe it is important to support PCOS Challenge because so many women are living with PCOS and are unaware they even have the disease. I want to help spread the word. You never really hear about PCOS unless you or someone close to you has it. I am not only a supporter I am someone who struggles with PCOS. With the support of my husband, family, and close friends I am determined to fight PCOS not only for myself but for all those who are affected. We have PCOS…PCOS does not have us! We will keep putting on Hope Concerts until we can't put them on anymore."
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 LuAyne Brown
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Battle of the Pole Dance Studios
PCOS Fundraiser
Also, for those in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD metropolitan areas, remember that fellow PCOS Challenger, Lulu has organized an event to benefit PCOS Challenge called Battle of the Pole Studios where women from pole dance fitness studios in the DC and Baltimore areas will compete. Portions of the ticket sales will go to benefit PCOS Challenge and its PCOS Awareness initiatives.
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!"
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| New on PCOS Challenge Radio |
Upcoming Radio Show
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Guest
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Date/Time
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Jacqueline Wolf, MD
Author
A Woman's Guide to a Healthy Stomach
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Wednesday,
October 19, 2011 at
6pm, EST
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Abdominal and Digestive Issues in Women
Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, author of A Woman's Guide to a Healthy Stomach joins the PCOS Challenge radio show to speak about digestive and abdominal issues in women and how to take control of your digestive health.
Many women deal with abdominal issues in silence, but these issues can be clues to help diagnose bigger problems. Did you know that abdominal pain is a symptom of endometriosis? How often do you report stomach and bowel issues to your gynecologist or primary care physician? Many women with PCOS deal with a host of abdominal problems.
Tune in to this show to learn more.
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.
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| Featured Article: Sleep Your Way to a Thinner You |
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By Dayo Wilson Lanier, MD
Everyone is trying to eat better and exercise more to be healthier, but did you know you could be sabotaging your efforts by not getting enough sleep? American adults sleep less than 7 hours per night on average (compared to 8.5 hours per night in 1960 and 9 hours per night in 1910).
So why is it important to get the
sleep you need?
According to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way your body processes and stores carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect your appetite...
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| Featured Article: Stress, the Brain and Fertility |
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By Joanne Verkuilen
Most people understand that there is a link between stress and our health since the media does cover some of the research that proves stress plays a role in many health issues. Our culture today also makes it impossible to just remove stress from our lives, and the truth is today we have unparalleled levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Expectations and demands come as a result of societal and family pressure, not to mention financial and career anxiety that underlies everything.
On top of the "new stress norm" of today’s world, there are studies that show women who are experiencing problems getting pregnant have similar levels of depression and anxiety as those suffering with life-threatening diseases like cancer or heart disease.
Stress negatively impacts our fertility. And unfortunately, stress is compounded when we try to conceive month after month, creating a downward spiral that is difficult to break...
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| About PCOS Challenge, Inc. |
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PCOS Challenge, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (PCOSChallenge.org). We are one of the largest and most active support organizations for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome worldwide. We touch the lives of women with PCOS and their supporters each year through cable television and radio programming (PCOS.tv), online and offline support groups (PCOSChallenge.com), and education and awareness initiatives.
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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.
If you know other women with PCOS, encourage them to join PCOSChallenge.com to gain the information and support they need to live happier and healthier.
Help spread the word and make PCOS a public health priority!
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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!
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PCOS Challenge
Online Groups |
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| 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.
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