The New York Times - “When There’s a Dearth of Good Information on Women’s Health, a Million Scams Bloom”

Underdiagnosis of PCOS is still a problem, and lots of women are unnecessarily suffering because of it. But it turns out that overdiagnosis is also an issue, and a lack of high-quality evidence on the syndrome is the root cause of both.

When there is a gap in knowledge on any women’s health issue, it leaves the door open for all manner of scams. “Because traditional medicine is not meeting women’s needs, they’re particularly vulnerable to these sorts of things online,” said Dr. Tessa Copp, a research fellow at the University of Sydney School of Public Health who studies the overdiagnosis of PCOS. “And it kind of stems back to the whole underrecognition, underappreciation and underfunding of women’s health more broadly.”

Dr. Copp told me that in her research she has talked to many women whose relationships and fertility plans were adversely affected by an incorrect PCOS diagnosis. Because they thought they would have difficulty conceiving, some had babies before they felt emotionally ready, Dr. Copp said, or took risks with contraception that led to unintended pregnancies. At the same time, when women have severe symptoms, having the diagnosis was “so validating and legitimizing and provided them with a label to describe their experience,” she said.

Read the whole article here.