Florence Pugh froze her eggs after diagnosis that 'completely' changed her life
Florence Pugh wants more women to know about the condition that changed her life.
The "Little Women" star, 28, shared on the "She MD" podcast that she has been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, and endometriosis.
"My life has completely changed since finding out this information," she said.
Pugh's doctor explained on the podcast that the quality of PCOS patients' eggs declines after age 30, and endometriosis can also lower egg count and quality. So after diagnosing her with both conditions, the doctor recommended Pugh freeze her eggs.
Learning that she had to "get my eggs out and do it quickly" was "a bit of a mind-boggling realization," Pugh said. She was 27 at the time.
Pugh recalled going to see a gynecologist last summer after she had a "sudden feeling" that she should get herself checked out, in part due to "weird dreams" she was having.
But when the doctor asked Pugh if she had ever had an egg count, she was taken aback. "I was like, 'No. What do you mean? I'm so young. Why do I need an egg count?'"
After the gynecologist did an egg count, Pugh was informed that she has PCOS and endometriosis, the latter of which explained "all of the pain that I've been in."
"It was just so bizarre because my family are baby-making machines," she said. "My mom had babies into her 40s. My gran had … so many kids as well. I just never assumed that I was going to be in any way different and that there was going to be an issue with it."
Pugh said she was lucky to find this out when she did, as opposed to five years down the line when she thinks she'll be ready to start having children. "I've been wanting kids since I was a child," she noted.
But she expressed sympathy for women who may be diagnosed "far too late" and argued there should be more education about conditions like these in schools.
"This is such a simple conversation that we should be having when we start our periods or when we start having sex. It really, really should not take this long for someone to find out about this diagnosis that they have no idea what it is."
What are PCOS and endometriosis?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, PCOS occurs when the ovaries produce excess hormones.
People with PCOS "often have irregular menstrual cycles, missed periods and unpredictable ovulation," and the condition is "one of the most common causes of infertility in women and people assigned female at birth," the clinic notes. It can also cause acne.
Endometriosis, meanwhile, is a condition that occurs when "tissue that is similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus," according to the Mayo Clinic. "Endometriosis can cause pain, especially during menstrual periods. Fertility problems also may develop."
Pugh said on the podcast that she has experienced symptoms such as acne and fluctuations in her weight, though she "just thought that was part of being a woman and living a slightly stressful life."
Keke Palmer and Bebe Rexha are among the celebrities who have opened up about having PCOS.
"Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome has been attacking me from the inside out my entire life and I had no idea. My acne has been so bad that people in my field offered to pay for me to get it fixed," Palmer wrote in a 2020 Instagram post, where she shared a candid photo showing her struggle with acne.
Last year, Rexha told Jennifer Hudson she gained around 30 pounds "so quickly" due to PCOS and that it was "tough" to see people commenting on this online.
"Star Wars" actress Daisy Ridley, meanwhile, has said she has polycystic ovaries and endometriosis, as well as Graves' disease.
"To any of you who are suffering with anything, go to a doctor; pay for a specialist; get your hormones tested, get allergy testing," Ridley said in a 2016 Instagram post. "Keep on top of how your body is feeling and don't worry about sounding like a hypochondriac. From your head to the tips of your toes we only have one body, let us all make sure ours our working in tip top condition, and take help if it's needed."