A woman has bravely shared a photo of herself shaving her face – to raise awareness of Polycystic ovary syndrome.
Posting the photo on mummy blogger Constance Hall’s Facebook page, Aussie Tina-Marie Beznec wrote an impassioned caption to highlight the challenges women with polycystic ovary syndrome go through every day.
“Hi my name is Tina and I have Polycystic ovary syndrome,” she wrote. “As well as depression, anxiety, infertility, weight gain, hormonal imbalances, bloating, abdominal pains, acne, cysts, increased risk of cancer and everything else, a lot of woman including myself have to deal with facial hair!
“Do you know how UNFEMININE this can make a woman feel?!? I've always been super self-conscious about it, but really just have to put this out there because I want create more awareness around this syndrome and how much it can impact someone's life especially if they don't know they have it.”
Tina wants people to realise that so many women are struggling with the condition.
“When you see someone who is overweight, has bald patches, or a woman who has facial hair DO NOT JUDGE,” she wrote.
“You never know what a person is going through and it's unfair to put someone into the “lazy and unhealthy” category without knowing their story. I know it's only natural for some of us to judge someone based on how they look but remember we are all fighting our own battles and you can never understand if you aren't willing to learn and listen.”
And as well as attempting to foster more understanding and compassion, she wants woman who think they might have the condition to seek help.
“If you think you may have Polycystic ovary syndrome please don't be afraid to reach out and seek medical advice,” she implored. “It's a hard battle but the sooner you get diagnosed the sooner you can manage your symptoms.”
