PCOS in the Workplace: The Day My Pain Found a Purpose

If you had met me a year ago, you wouldn’t have thought I would be speaking in front of an audience about women’s health.

Not because I didn’t care. But because at that time, I was still trying to understand my own.

On April 10, something unexpected happened.

It was supposed to be just another day, until I realized it wasn’t. It marked exactly one year since I wrote my very first blog for PCOS Millennials. One year since the morning I found myself sitting quietly, overwhelmed, crying without fully understanding why.

One year since I felt like my own body had become something unfamiliar.

And on that same day, I was given the opportunity to become a guest speaker for an event organized by the Department of Science and Technology. I paused when I realized the timing.

Because out of all the days it could have happened, it happened on my anniversary.

The same date that once held confusion, fear, and quiet pain had now become a moment of purpose. A year ago, I was asking questions I couldn’t answer.

“Bakit parang may mali sa akin?”
“Bakit hindi ko maintindihan ang nangyayari sa katawan ko?”
“Normal pa ba ito?”

There were no clear explanations back then.

No easy answers. Just a feeling that something wasn’t right, and the weight of not knowing what to do next. And yet, there I was—one year later standing in front of professionals, leaders, and employees, speaking about something that once made me feel so lost: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

It didn’t feel like just another speaking engagement.

It felt like a full-circle moment. The same experience that once broke me in silence had slowly become the reason I could speak with clarity.

And maybe, just maybe, help someone else understand what they’re going through.

When You Don’t Have the Words for What You’re Feeling

Before I ever said the word “PCOS” out loud, I lived through it without knowing its name.

That’s the part people don’t usually see. Because when you don’t understand what’s happening to your body, everything feels heavier.

You notice the changes, but you can’t explain them.

Your cycle becomes irregular, and you start to wonder if it’s just stress. Your skin reacts in ways it never did before. Some days you feel okay, and other days you don’t even recognize your own energy, your own mood, your own reactions.

And the hardest part?

You begin to doubt yourself. You start thinking maybe you’re overreacting. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it will pass.

But it doesn’t.

Instead, it lingers quietly in the background of your everyday life.

People around you may not notice anything unusual. Or if they do, they might say things casually—things that seem small but slowly add up.

“Pagod ka lang siguro.”
“Normal lang ‘yan.”
“Stress lang ‘yan.”

And without realizing it, you begin to question your own experience.

Because if everything is “normal,” then why does it feel like something isn’t?

Understanding What PCOS Really Is

When I finally learned about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, it didn’t feel like relief right away.

It felt like clarity. For the first time, there was a name for what I was experiencing. But at the same time, I realized how misunderstood it really is.

Most people think PCOS is just about having cysts in the ovaries.

That’s what the name suggests. But the reality is more complex. It’s not just about the ovaries. It’s about hormones. It’s about how your body processes energy.

It’s about how different systems in your body stop working in sync.

When hormones become imbalanced, it affects everything from your cycle to your skin, from your energy to your emotions.

And when ovulation doesn’t happen regularly, it creates a ripple effect that many women don’t even realize is connected.

That’s why PCOS doesn’t look the same for everyone.

For some, it shows up physically. For others, it shows up emotionally.

And for many, it’s both.

The Misconception That Delays So Many Stories

There is one belief that continues to delay understanding for so many women.

The idea that PCOS only affects those who are overweight. I’ve seen how this assumption creates silence. Because when someone doesn’t “look like” they have PCOS, their symptoms are often overlooked.

They don’t get tested early.

They don’t get guided properly. They don’t get answers when they need them most. Instead, they are told that everything seems fine. And so they continue, carrying something they cannot fully explain.

What many don’t realize is that PCOS can affect women regardless of body type.

You can be payat. You can be active. You can look completely healthy on the outside—and still be dealing with hormonal imbalance internally.

And when that reality is ignored, diagnosis is delayed.

Understanding is delayed.

Support is delayed.

The Part No One Prepared Me For

No one really prepares you for the emotional side of PCOS.

The part where it quietly affects how you see yourself. There are moments when you feel strong, when everything feels manageable. And then there are moments when everything feels heavier than it should.

You question your body in ways you never did before.

You question your future. You question things that feel too personal to even say out loud.

And sometimes, the hardest question isn’t medical. It’s emotional.

“Magiging okay pa ba ako?”

For many women, especially in a culture where strength is often equated with silence, these questions remain unspoken.

But they exist.

And they matter.

From Silence to Something More

Looking back, I never planned to share my story.

I didn’t start with the intention of becoming a speaker or building a platform. I started because I needed an outlet. That first blog I wrote wasn’t structured. It wasn’t strategic.

It was simply honest.

It was written from a place of wanting to understand. And over time, something shifted. What started as a personal release became a space where others could relate.

Women began to read.

They began to reach out. They began to share their own experiences. And slowly, I realized that what I went through was not just my story.

It was a shared experience.

One that needed to be talked about.

Why This Conversation Matters Now More Than Ever

In the Philippines, millions of women are living with PCOS.

But what’s more concerning is how many are still undiagnosed. That means there are countless women going through daily challenges without knowing why.

They continue with their responsibilities.

They show up for work. They fulfill expectations. But inside, they are trying to make sense of something that hasn’t been explained to them.

And that’s why conversations like this matter.

Because awareness is not just about information. It’s about recognition. It’s about helping someone realize that what they are experiencing is real.

That it has a name.

And that they are not alone.

PCOS Millennials