Maltese gynaecologist Chiara Frendo-Balzan has claimed that half of Maltese women actually struggle with PCOS, with half of them not even knowing about it.

This was said on the latest episode of The She Word, a podcast aiming to shed light on conversations that need more attention, this time dealing with the topic of Women and Menstruation.

“I like to say that half of Maltese women have it, and half of the other half don’t even know that they’ve got it,” Frendo-Balzan said. 

“It’s super common – statistics say that it’s about 30% of women, and it’s more common in Mediterranean and Asian countries,” she continued.

“So 30% of women, potentially listening to this podcast, have PCOS, and it’s undiagnosed,” host Kerr said.

The symptoms of PCOS, which stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, include irregular cycles, weight gain, facial and body hair, among others. 

Frendo-Balzan continued to explain about the long-lasting damage which could be brought on by the syndrome if it’s left undiagnosed.

“It’s all fun if you don’t get periods, right, but if the lining is not shed, it thickens and becomes abnormal, and abnormal cells in the lining have the potential to become cancerous,” she continued.

“This is all regardless of age.”

On average, women will have 450-500 periods over their lifetime, which equals 3,500 days spent menstruating. That’s over 10,000 period products in one lifetime! 

Of course, each woman is unique so that number will vary, but understanding your cycle is important since you will have so many throughout your life. Menstrual cycles vary but on average there are 13 per year.

A woman will menstruate for an equivalent duration of 6.5 years of her life. On average, women lose between 70 to 100 millilitres of blood during each period – that’s approximately four tablespoons.

Women and Menstruation is definitely a must-watch for women of all ages. Check it out below: