Ep. 30 - How to Advocate for a PCOS Diagnosis & Better Healthcare

Written By Jazmine Corona

In this episode of Glow Social Hour, I am joined by Megan Stewart, founder and executive director of the PCOS Awareness Association, for an honest and deeply important conversation about polycystic ovarian syndrome, advocacy, and why so many women are still being missed by the healthcare system.

Megan shares her personal journey of experiencing PCOS symptoms as early as age nine, including years of unexplained weight gain, painful cysts, mood swings, hair loss and being repeatedly dismissed by medical professionals. From being told to just lose weight to having her pain minimized or ignored, her story reflects what far too many women experience before ever receiving answers.

What began as handmade teal bracelets to spark awareness eventually grew into a global movement. Today, the PCOS Awareness Association leads the charge in education, community support and funding research to help close the diagnosis gap and push for more informed and compassionate care.

This conversation goes beyond PCOS. It is about self advocacy, listening to your body and creating systems of support when the medical system falls short.

We Discuss

  • Megan’s early PCOS symptoms and why it took years to receive a diagnosis

  • Being dismissed, misdiagnosed, and told symptoms were normal or imagined

  • How ruptured ovarian cysts became a turning point in her advocacy journey

  • Why PCOS is a syndrome and not a disease and why that matters for treatment

  • The lack of approved treatments and the limitations of symptom based care

  • How long it can take for women to receive a PCOS diagnosis

  • The importance of education within the medical system

  • Why self advocacy is essential when navigating healthcare

  • Building a supportive care team when holistic care is not covered by insurance

  • The mission and impact of the PCOS Awareness Association

  • PCOS Con, Shades of Teal, Man of Teal, and programs for partners and families

  • Why community support can change everything

  • Small and sustainable lifestyle shifts that helped Megan manage her symptoms

  • Letting go of perfection and learning to work with your body instead of against it

Guest Bio

Megan Stewart is the Founder and Executive Director of PCOS Awareness Association, one of the leading organizations dedicated to education, advocacy, and support for people with PCOS. She works to close the diagnosis gap, improve healthcare equity, and empower individuals to understand and advocate for their own bodies. Through community programs and nationwide initiatives, Megan champions compassionate, evidence-based PCOS care.

Connect With Megan and PCOS Awareness Association

Connect With Me

Share This Episode

If this conversation resonated with you or reminded you that your symptoms deserve to be taken seriously, share this episode with someone who needs it.

You are not imagining it.
You are not alone.
And you deserve answers and support.

Jazmine Corona
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