PCOS Awareness Advocate Ashley Tabeling, after over six years of service to the PCOS Community is aggressively campaigning for more awareness, exposure and education for PCOS( Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) For Ashley who was diagnosed with PCOS in 1999, PCOS Awareness has been played a key role in helping her learn to live and deal with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Ashley says, "PCOS Awareness has to happen now to ensure women and girls do not have to go through another day, month or year of silent suffering." Up to 10% of women and girls worldwide have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a complex hormonal disorder for which there is no cure. However, with proper education, diagnosis and treatment, effective management is possible. For many, like Ms. Tabeling Polycystic Ovary Syndrome means having to face daily battles with a range of symptoms that can vary from woman to woman such as infertility, dark skin patches, obesity, acne, hair loss, excess facial and body hair and skin tags. PCOS is a physical and emotional drain on many individuals with the syndrome due to the devastating external manifestations and hormonal imbalances produced as a result of this syndrome?, says Ms. Tabeling. Many women with PCOS are insulin resistant, a condition that raises the level of insulin circulating in the

body and in many cases causes women with PCOS to become overweight or obese. If left untreated PCOS can be a precursor to many life threatening conditions including type II diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke and kidney problems. This means PCOS contributes to some of the leading causes of death and disability in women today! Ashley plans to incite, inspire and empower the PCOS Community to speak very openly about their struggles, symptoms, and trials to overcome the illness, to help other women and girls understand the syndrome and seek the proper resources to help them manage their lives with PCOS. She hopes to be a driving force in changing the way the public, media and government views PCOS education, treatment and coverage for medical procedures and treatments, as a result of PCOS. " I find it very unsettling that male impotence medications are covered by most insurance companies but, women who have a legitimate endocrine disorder that requires the care of a doctor and specific medications have to struggle come up with money so they can receive the proper treatment!", says Ms. Tabeling. Ashley's desire to spread awareness stems from what she and many other women with PCOS have gone through, years without the proper diagnosis and not knowing what was truly wrong. Thousands of women from around the country have experienced the same lack of response from the medical community with little understanding of PCOS and the best way to treat it. Many medical professionals still view the syndrome as a gynecological problem and only address the syndrome when issues of infertility arise. As a result, single women, older women and those not trying to get pregnant often still have little chance of being diagnosed. Prior to a few years ago, PCOS had been largely misunderstood and rarely diagnosed. "The information to make a proper diagnosis just wasn't there," said Ashley. "Your concerns, in many cases, would have been dismissed. Now the medical community is realizing it is more than menstrual irregularities, it's a lifelong condition that can take years off of your life", says Ashley. Part of the problem, then and now, is that the PCOS symptoms manifest themselves in different ways. In fact, not all affected women have polycystic ovaries. Women with PCOS can have any combination of symptoms of varying severity. As a result, researchers, doctors and women themselves looked at the symptoms individually rather than collectively. "It Is my personal goal to ensure every medical professional makes the proper diagnosis. Furthermore, I think girls who are coming of age should learn about PCOS when they are learning about sex education in school ", said Ms. Tabeling, who continues to dedicate her life to PCOS Awareness and Advocacy.

Ms. Tabeling has be taking the first step in making this happen by sharing her story through various media outlets that have or will be featuring her story this year including:

June 2005 -The Gloucester County Times Sept. 2005 - Ashley personal journey Featured on Discovery Health Channel Ocotober 2005 - personal story in Woman's World Magazine Fall 2005 - Article featured in NY Trend

For additional information including interviews and appearances with Ashley Tabeling and/or a medical professional specializing in PCOS, please contact: Ashley Tabeling PCOS Awareness Advocate PCOStrategies, Advisory Board Member E-mail: ashleytabeling@yahoo.com Phone: 609-617-7499