September is PCOS Awareness Month

Almost 7 million women in the U.S. alone have PCOS and less than half know they have the syndrome. Public information and awareness of the symptoms and the serious nature of the disorder are crucial to identifying women in need of treatment.

September is National PCOS Awareness Month and we invite you to think about how you can become an advocate for PCOS awareness this month and into the future.

Christine DeZarn, PCOSA founder explains, "As difficult as it may be for many of us to talk about PCOS, I ask you to join other PCOSA members and become involved to make a difference. You could potentially help someone who is unaware that they have the syndrome. Just think how wide PCOS awareness could spread if we all took action!"

PCOSA members can play an integral part in our PCOS Awareness Month activities. We ask you to share your knowledge of PCOS with others. Our goal is to foster knowledge and sensitivity to those with the condition. Have you ever told someone about PCOS who has never heard of the syndrome before? Was their reaction shock, disbelief or confusion as to why they had never heard of this before, since it is so common?

Perhaps you have a mother, daughter, sister, or female friend who is overweight and honestly not sure why. Perhaps a female friend suffers from excess facial hair, but mistakenly assumes this is only a cosmetic problem. Tell them they can start by taking the quiz at http://www.pcosupport/quiz.php which will help them to evaluate their risks and will guide them toward "next steps" in seeking help from a doctor. Help spread the word about PCOS. You never know who may learn from us and in turn, get the help they need.

To mark this special month, the PCOSA is holding our first month-long charity auction to be held on our web site. We are pleased to have cMarket.com, the premier online auction designer and host, manage our online charity auction. To date, cMarket has helped to raise more than $13 million for nearly 2,000 non-profit organizations.

Many companies and individuals have made generous donations to our auction. Here's a sneak peek at the fantastic items and services that are open for bidding through September 28th:

• Original watercolor portrait of your child by artist Susan Tennant.  Value: $500 /li>
• Original color photo-montage from German artist, Karin Elmers. Value: $600
• "Scent-sational Gift Basket and Mia Bella candles" from BasketsByMelinda. Value: $50
• Overnight boat dockage and complementary spa treatments at the Miami Beach Marina and SoFi Salon & Spa in the heart of South Beach. Value: $750
• "Secrets of Paris" half-day Paris tour with Heather Stimmler-Hall and a copy of her "Naughty Paris" book. Value: $350
• 6 months of the Insulite PCOS System. Value: $600

The proceeds will support our PCOS Awareness activities throughout the year. If you would like to donate an item or service to our auction, please contact Andrea at pcosupport@cmarket.org.

Education and awareness are key to improving the lives of women who are unaware that they have PCOS. If symptoms are left untreated, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases 5-fold, the risk of cardio-vascular disease rises and infertility is often common. The good news is that these risks and problems can be reduced and possibly eliminated with proper treatment.

Supporting our online auction is just one way you can make a difference. Here are just a few ideas for generating awareness in your local community:

• Hold a fundraiser for PCOS
• Bake Sale
• Haircut-a-thons
• Yard Sale
• Car Wash
• Host a PCOS health and wellness day at your local community center
• Find a retailer who will donate a percentage of sales
• Send emails to everyone you know and ask them to visit our auction site or make a contribution to our PCOS Awareness fund
• Volunteer to speak to a middle or high school health class about PCOS
• Participate in a local health fair
• Visit local school counselors to make them aware of PCOS

We hope that you will join us in becoming an advocate for PCOS awareness.

Amy Medling