“In retrospect, many of the symptoms — the acne, thinning hair and weight gain — I experienced growing up were directly related to PCOS,” she said. “This isn’t just a reproductive health issue. This is a lifelong condition and it leads to some of the heaviest burdens on health care. I know many people who have lost their jobs, lost their relationships because of PCOS, so there’s a tremendous and urgent need to address PCOS and take it seriously.”