Does Race Impact Our Experiences of PCOS?

Medical research often leaves out communities of color. This panel of experts, all women of color, discusses PMOS, at the time called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and how race and racism can make it harder to access healthcare. The panelists include Our Bodies Ourselves content expert Noelle Elizabeth Spencer.

Note: The condition formerly known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) was renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) in 2026. This change recognizes the condition as a whole-body syndrome rather than focusing on ovarian cysts as its distinct marker.

The thing that strikes me the most about PCOS and my journey is that no one's ever really told me what it is and no one's ever really also told me that as a South Asian woman I'm more likely to have it even when I was trying to get diagnosed with PCOS.

SOURCE: Cysters • LAST UPDATED: April 21, 2021