When Emma Chamberlain rocked up to her hair appointment early last year, she left with much more than just a new hairstyle.
While at the salon, the YouTube star made a chance encounter with a stranger who asked if she might have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
It’s a moment Chamberlain says “changed [her] life”.
The 21 year old recalled the unexpected exchange in a Vogue video posted on April 22.
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“I got diagnosed with PCOS at the hair salon. I was sitting in the chair getting my hair washed and a woman was next to me and she turned to me and she said, ‘Do you have PCOS?'” she recalled.
“And I was like, ‘I don’t know. My mum has PCOS. You know she has PCOS and endometriosis and she’s had a lot of challenges’. And she was like, ‘I think you have PCOS’.”
Emma said she was initially shocked by the situation, but then the stranger’s comments began to clarify.
“She could tell by the acne that was on my cheeks. Turns out she was an OBGYN [obstetrician-gynecologist, a medical specialist who focuses on women’s health] and she diagnosed me with PCOS.”
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PCOS is a common hormonal disorder in people with female reproductive organs that can cause irregular periods, acne and infertility, among other symptoms.
Chamberlain shared that she has noticed significant improvements with her symptoms since receiving an official diagnosis and beginning treatment.
“It’s really changed my life, to be honest – like my periods are so much more chill. My skin is so much more predicable. My hair is getting thicker,” she said.
“It’s just feeling like I’m coming back to myself in a way.”
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Chamberlain publicly shared her diagnosis last year on her Anything Goes podcast, telling her followers: “About a month and a half ago, I was diagnosed with PCOS.
“I found out its the reason they for many years I’ve had irregular periods, cystic acne, anxiety, depression and a slew of other issues. It could also possibly impact my fertility, which is upsetting. It’s definitely a bummer.”
“Its common. I know a lot of girls with PCOS and I think I have a milder version of it,” she continued.
“I don’t have the cysts. I don’t have all of the symptoms of PCOS but alas, I have it.”
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PCOS is common condition affecting six to 13 per cent of reproductive-aged women, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
That doesn’t include the up to 70 per cent of affected women the WHO says remain undiagnosed worldwide.
PCOS is a chronic condition that has no cure but symptoms can be treated.
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