The 3 symptoms of actress Florence Pugh’s condition she assumed were ‘normal’ until a DREAM prompted a check-up
THE FLORENCE After receiving a startling diagnosis and having her eggs frozen at the age of 27, Pugh has encouraged others to be examined.
The 28-year-old Little Women star disclosed three symptoms that she had thought were “normal” before having strange dreams that drove her to seek a gynecological examination.
Florence, who has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), spoke with gynecological surgeon Dr. Thas Aliabadi and influencer Mary Alice Haney during her appearance on the SHE MD podcast.
“My life has completely changed since finding out this information, but I wouldn’t probably discuss any other funny things that I’ve found about my body,” the normally private actress stated.
“And in a great way, because it means that I have to really be on the ball, and I have to really wake up and take my health a bit more seriously than I would have done.”
Before having a copper coil installed, the 28-year-old claimed to have gone through excruciating episodes as a teenager that lasted up to two weeks.
Read more on PCOS
However, as an adult, she still had perplexing symptoms, which she attributed to “being a woman”.
“I had acne,” the actress from Don’t Worry Darling admitted to the podcast hosts.
“There are clearly areas of my hair that shouldn’t be there. However, I simply assumed that was a part of being a woman and possibly leading a somewhat stressful life.
Florence claimed to have “constant weight fluctuation” as well.
“I’ve never been the same size in my entire life,” she clarified.
“I’ve always experienced ups and downs. And because it has always simply been a part of my life, I have never really been very bothered by it.
“I always eat well, and I exercise, and I just considered that was because, I have a curvy body and my mom has a curvy body and my sisters have curvy bodies and that’s just the way that we are.”
However, Florence learned that all of her symptoms could be linked to PCOS after visiting with Dr. Aliabadi.
The prevalent ailment alters the function of the ovaries, leading to irregular or nonexistent periods and difficulties conceiving.
Acne, weight gain, thinning hair, and excessive hair growth are some of the physical symptoms that sufferers may encounter.
According to research, around 70% of people who have the hormonal disorder are undiagnosed.
‘Mind boggling’
Florence talked about the strange situation that prompted her to consult a doctor.
“I suddenly felt that I should go and get everything checked,” she stated.
“I believe my body was alerting me that I had a few strange nightmares.
“I next inquired with my close friends about any outstanding gynecologists they might know.
She asked if I had ever had an egg count done before I went in to meet Thais for my appointment, and I said, “No, what do you mean? I’m very young. Why is an egg count necessary?
How does egg freezing work?
Fertility can be preserved by freezing eggs.
Your 20s and early 30s are the optimal times to freeze eggs because this is when both the quantity and quality of your eggs are at their peak.
Although the quality of your eggs and the number of eggs you have left decrease with age, freezing your eggs is still feasible if you are over 35.
Known as “stimulation,” you will receive daily injections for approximately two weeks prior to having your eggs frozen in order to aid in the collection of mature eggs.
You can begin the injections at any point during your menstrual cycle.
It’s natural for you to get your period during stimulation. Along with feeling exhausted, you may also experience stomach discomfort or bloating.
While you are unconscious, a brief operation will be performed to retrieve eggs, usually through the vagina.
On the same day as the retrieval process, your eggs are frozen. Vitrification is the name of the fast-freezing method we employ.
After the freezing and thawing process, eight to nine out of ten eggs should survive.
The eggs will be thawed and injected with sperm to produce embryos for later use.
Sources: Guy’s and St. Thomas NHS Foundation Trust, London Women’s Clinic
The celebrity was diagnosed by Dr. Aliabadi with endometriosis in addition to PCOS, and he suggested that she have her eggs frozen, which entails gathering and preserving eggs in order to start a family in the future.
The gynecologist clarified on the program that endometriosis and PCOS can both impact a person’s ability to conceive.
“[Florence] told me about her lengthy history of difficult periods, and fortunately, a progesterone IUD was implanted in her by someone in London, which greatly reduced her symptoms.
“Your egg count and number might be impacted by endometriosis if left untreated, as it was in her instance.
“She had PCOS, according to my diagnosis. PCOS individuals produce large quantities of eggs, however after the age of 30, the quality declines.
“When you have a patient with both possible diagnoses, you want to see where that egg count sits.”
According to Dr. Aliabadi, beyond the age of 28, she frequently begins discussing egg freezing with her patients.
Florence remembered being perplexed by the thought of having to consider her fertility at the age of 27.
“It was just so bizarre because my family are baby making machines,” she said.
“My mother had children well into her forties. Throughout her life, my grandmother gave birth to numerous children.
“I simply never thought that I would be different in any manner, that there would be a problem with it, or that I needed to worry about it before I needed to think about it.
For me, it just wasn’t a cause for concern or a warning sign.
“And then of course, I learned completely different information, at age 27, that I need to get my eggs out, and do it quickly, which was just a bit of a mind boggling realisation, and one that I’m really lucky and glad that I found out when I did because I’ve been wanting kids since I was a child.”
‘Let down’
According to Florence, “two or three” of her acquaintances have had identical symptoms examined and found they have PCOS after her diagnosis.
The actress claimed that she was “let down” by the silence surrounding the illness.
She made the following observation: “We ask young girls to be aware of any lumps in their breasts and anything that might feel especially odd there, but we simply lack education on how to take care of what is going on inside of us, the things that we can’t see and the things that we can’t feel, and I feel terrible about the lack of conversation.”
For all the young ladies who will discover this far too late—when they begin having children in their 30s—I feel incredibly disappointed.
Celebrities with PCOS
- Victoria Beckham was diagnosed with PCOS while trying to conceive her fourth child, Harper Seven.
- Frankie Bridge has opened up about suffering from irregular periods and cyst-y spots due to PCOS.
- Gemma Collins overhauled her diet and lifestyle to give herself the best chance of being a mum after being told PCOS could make it difficult to get pregnant.
- After years of suffering from adult acne, Keke Palmer was diagnosed with PCOS.
- Daisy Ridley has both endometriosis and PCOS.
- Like many women, Sasha Pieterse said she had never heard of PCOS being doctors confirmed it was causing her metabolism issues.
- “It’s been a great agony for me,” said Emma Thompson on the “painful” condition.
- Jools Oliver has shared her experiences of pregnancy loss and living with PCOS.
“Teaching everyone about this when you’re in school wouldn’t be that difficult. It will be the deciding factor in whether or not you are able to have children.
“And if you have a dream of maybe one day being a mum, these things are so important, much like learning how to find lumps in your breast.”
The actress advised other ladies to seek medical attention for similar issues.
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“It’s just really not in our culture here in England to be having a gynaecologist that you go and [see] frequently and to be worried before you need to worried,” she said.
“I had a bit of a worry last summer and I just wanted to go and get things checked out and then we ended up finding information that I probably wouldn’t have known until I started having kids in another five years.”
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